Falling Apart
by xChewy
Summary: When everything is collapsing beneath your very feet, you find hope in the strangest places. But will they be able to catch you before you fall? Yaoi, Tala/Kevin, Kai/Rei, some OOC. Not for Lee obsesses. Details inside. Try it out!
1. The Subway

What's this

What's this? A hardcore yaoi? From ME?!

So, in this world, it's a little different. Kevin is totally uke, the Blitzkrieg Boys know the White Tigers a little better, Lee is abusive to Kevin, Mariah is completely self-absorbed, and Gary is scary and mean. The one refuge is Rei, who is relatively the same, and happens to be dating Kai. Will Kevin be able to escape the hell that the White Tiger team has become, or will he be kept in it by his sadistic captain?

Kai/Rei, Tala/Kevin. I know it's a strange pairing, okay? But I think it's hot. So leave me be.

**Warnings**: Yaoi. _Sex-filled_ yaoi. Some language, though it's not that bad. Just the sex stuff, I guess. Don't read if you're not interested in Guy/Guy relationships. OOC. That's it.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tala stretched his arms high above his head, bumming through the turn style and wandering toward the escalator. Stepping on, he looked downward into the huge tunnel that descended into the subway system, noting how empty it was. A business man, a woman with a baby, and a surprising lack of human life filled the tunnels as Tala stormed down the remaining part of the escalator, growling at its slowness. Stepping of and widening his step, he swept across the cement platform and stopped quite suddenly at the end, hands shoved into his pockets. He knew he looked odd when he walked like that, his pace so face and his gait so long. Not to mention that he came to a halt as quickly as he had started walking. But it kept people away, and in the subway stations in the outer limits of Chicago, that was important. Not to mention it was well passed ten at night. He didn't want to get involved with druggies, whether he looked like one or not.

The distant whir of the train grew louder as it approached, its roar filling the tunnel. Suddenly, white light spilled out of the black tunnel it was coming from and in the next instant, the blur of train cars was flying passed Tala so quickly that the few loose strands of red hair fluttered around his face. Only four inches from his nose, the train slowed to a screeching stop and Tala found to his relief that the car that stopped directly in front of him was practically empty. Only two shapes of people inside its belly. He smiled, waited for the doors to hiss open, and then stepped inside silently.

Moving like the very shadow his figure produced, Tala slumped into the closest seat to the door he could find. It was hard, and uncomfortable; made of orange faded plastic, to match the other ones. How gross. Instinctively, Tala's eyes wandered down the car, taking in the details that only closer inspection could provide. There was gum sticking to various surfaces, the carpet was faded and stained, and the walls were covered in graffiti. A man, clad in a long gray jacket and a black baseball cap pulled over his eyes, sat with his face downturned, hands in his pockets. He was wearing a stained green hoodie beneath the coat, and town blue jeans. Big black boots wrapped around his huge feet. Even at the distance Tala was at, he could still smell the wretched stench of stall cigarettes and bear that wafted off the man.

Tala sighed, rolling his eyes once before letting them drift to the next figure. This one was far smaller, little feet hardly brushing the carpet below. He was gripping the sides of the seat in what was either tension or utter fear. He was wearing a pair of simple soot-gray cargo jeans, and a faded orange jacket with green piping. Compared to the seat color, this was a decent shade of an otherwise obnoxious color. Tala was one to know; his hair was red enough for him to consider himself a fair judge of the color orange. But the fact that this figure was so small wasn't the only thing that struck Tala as odd. It was the hair; green, soft, shinning dully in the light the subway car provided, and it seemed to sweep unceremoniously across the side of his face. He was Chinese, with violet eyes, and Tala knew his name.

Kevin Ki, of the White Tiger team. What, in _god's name_, (of all people Tala should think of at that time,) was that little creature doing on a Chicago subway at eleven thirty at night? _Alone_, for that matter. Tala rolled his eyes for the second time and settled into the boring task of watching a small beetle make a migration across the carpet in the center of the car. Slowly, as the subway picked up speed, he began to think about the young neko-jin on the other side of the car. Not that he wanted too; oh no, Tala very much didn't want to care about someone else, especially someone who had no impact whatsoever on his life. But finding that he had nothing better to do, he let his mind wander on a short leash.

What was he doing here? Yes, there was a tournament going on, so that was why his team was here. That was why Tala's team was there, after all. But why was someone so young and obviously defenseless completely alone on a subway at this time of night? He would get mugged or raped or something, wouldn't he?

_Kur-junk_.

The subway car made an unnatural jerk, shaking somewhat before continuing on. Tala blinked, recognizing that that was not a normal function for a subway train, and just as he was beginning to excuse it as crappily-laid tracks, the train began to slow down. Screeching followed. Tala looked up, swearing to himself and straining to see out the window of the train into the blackness of the tunnel. Yes, the walls outside were passing by at a slower and slower rate. He swore louder. Suddenly, the train screeched to a halt, throwing Tala into the seat next to him, the cloaked man into a poll, and Kevin into the wall at the end of the car. They all let out some form of shocked noise before there was silence, and just as Tala was about to say something, the lights flickered out.

"Aw, fuck me." Tala growled, eyes pitifully adjusting to the light. There was a shuffling noise at the far end of the train before a bluish-white light illuminated Kevin's face. The younger boy was looking worriedly at the face of his cell phone screen, probably finding that he had no reception. The worry that already resided on his face doubled. Beside his face, everything else in the car was black. No one moved, no one made noise. Tala got the feeling that he was suddenly forgotten, too far away from the other two people to even be reached by the light of the cell phone. Several minutes of awkward tension passed before an automated voice filled the car.

"_We're sorry for the inconvenience, but there has been a technical malfunction with the train, and we are afraid it will take a while for repair services to reach us. Please remain calm."_

Again, Tala swore, this time below his breath. From across the train, a low grunt. The man had made a noise, and Kevin's phone was still lighting up the very corner of the train. Tala gazed toward it, facial features softening at the hypnotizing glow. Time passed. Kevin's eyes eventually drifted closed, and he drew his feet up onto the seat before him so that his knees were level with his chin. He leaned against the wall, hugging the cell phone to his chest, and drew a deep breath. Tala thought for a second that he should move closer, but decided against it. Kevin obviously didn't know Tala was on the train, or he would have said something.

He was cute like that, though…

Tala blinked. Sleep was catching up with him, and he was beginning to hallucinate. But, the longer they sat there in silence, the sleepier he grew. Eventually, Tala closed his own eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, listening. Just listening. For anything, everything, something that might catch his interest.

And it came. After only five minutes of this listening practice, something across the car shuffled. Tala's eyes snapped open. The man with the hat stood awkwardly and lumbered toward Kevin, who jerked from his sleep and looked around groggily, spotted the man, and froze stiff.

In the dim light of the cell phone, something flashed beside the man, and Tala recognized it; a blade of a knife. He froze too, eyes straining to see.

"He sweetie. How about a little kiss, eh?" The man slurred, his voice rough and uneven; he was drunk. Kevin shifted, pulling away only to find that he was just pressing himself into the corner more. He was speechless, completely horrified.

"Come on now, don't be a prude. Old B-" – The man paused to hiccup – "Old Ben just wants a little fun, that's all. Come here, baby…"

Kevin's logic caught up with him then. He pushed up, cell phone clattering to the ground, and tried to dart around the man, but he was too slow. In a twist of sudden motion, the man snatched hold of Kevin's arm and pulled him back around, shoving him onto the benches. In a flash, Tala was on his feet.

"Come on now, babe, let Old Ben show you a good time…"

Tala swept across the car, glare heating up on his face.

"I'll make you scream my name…" Old Ben said lustily, leaning down onto Kevin who was now struggling helplessly beneath him. The second the man's tongue hit Kevin's cheek, however, Tala reached the pair and grabbed hold of the man's jacket with both hands, pulling him up. The man cried out, startled, and before he could regain composer, Tala's fist went smashing into his face, sending the large man to the floor. The second the man hit it, he didn't move. Tala watched him until Kevin's breathing seemed to calm down, and slowly, Tala turned around.

Petrified and shaking, Kevin had once again backed into the corner. His eyes were wide and his face was pale in the faded white light of the cell phone on the floor. Slowly, his eyes narrowed.

"T-Tala?"

"Little green haired kid." Tala replied politely, nodding as if it were Kevin's name. The neko-jin looked from Tala to the man to Tala to his phone.

"Wha…"

"What are you doing here alone?"

Kevin looked up, startled. Tala did not repeat the question, only stared at Kevin in patient waiting.

"U-um… Well, L-Lee was being… I mean… H-he and I got into a f-fight and I stormed off…" Suddenly, guilt and embarrassment flushed the younger boys face. Kevin pulled his knees back up and hugged his legs. He sighed. "This is my fault."

"Yes." Tala said simply, sighing and sitting down beside the youth. "It is."

Kevin looked away, remaining silent. He didn't seem to care why Tala was there. After a pause, Tala leaned forward and scooped up Kevin's cell phone before leaning back. He looked at the screen and saw that the background was a picture of Mariah and Kevin laughing and sharing some sort of drink. He rolled his eyes. People who were happy always pissed him off. But, looking at the small figure next to him, Kevin didn't appear happy at all. He was still shaking, and he refused to show his face to Tala.

The red-head raised and eyebrow, lowering the cell phone onto the seat beside him. He turned toward the younger, who continued to ignore him. Silently, and without thinking about it at all, Tala reached over and hooked his index finger around Kevin's chin, lifting the neko-jin's face around to look at him. Kevin blinked, startled, and blushed deeply. Tala smiled.

"You're cute."

A pause. "You're scary."

Tala blinked. "I saved you from being raped."

"But you don't go calling someone they're cute right after that."

"I do."

"Okay, fine." Kevin said, averting his eyes in nervousness. "You're weird."

Tala smirked. "But am I hot?"

Kevin looked back at him suddenly, eyes wide. "What?"

Tala sighed for what must have been the umpteenth time that night. "Am I hot?" He repeated, a bit annoyed. Kevin swallowed, looked down at his feet, then back up at Tala. He blinked, eyes glistening in the dim light.

"Yeah…"

Tala smiled. "Okay. So I'm hot, and you're cute. What should two attractive people do when they're stuck in a train car together?"

Kevin blinked again, completely shocked and confused. Tala sighed.

"Are you a virgin or something?"

Such a simple question to Tala, and yet, Kevin's face sank into a deep rosy color and his eyes seemed to be unable to look at Tala's face, like they were magnets of the same charge. Tala blinked.

"Really?"

Awkwardly, Kevin nodded. A pause, before a devilish smirk spread Tala's lips.

"Are you attracted to guys?"

Another awkward moment passed. Kevin shrugged half-heartedly. "I don't know…"

The smirk grew. Tala leaned toward the younger. "Well how about we find out?"

Kevin blinked, looking toward Tala only to find himself caught in a kiss. Only lips, but before he could pull away Tala leaned in and pushed his tongue against Kevin's lips, asking for entrance. Kevin squirmed, and not knowing any better, parted his lips. In an instant, Tala was kissing Kevin deeply and passionately, pressing the younger against the wall of the car. Kevin moaned a little, but didn't fight. Tala recognized that he had no idea what to do, and felt his heart flutter.

If Kevin wasn't saying no, then he would go along with it. And since he didn't know what to do, he would follow Tala. That meant one glorious thing; Tala had complete control.

Booyah.

Kevin shifted, moving around so that he was facing tall on the row of seats, his back pressed against the wall. He brought both legs up onto the seat and blinked at Tala slide between them instantly, moving in and scooping Kevin onto his lap facing him. The neko-jin unconsciously wrapped his arms around Tala's shoulder, and the two kissed deeply until they needed to breathe.

"Um… Tal-"

The Russian silenced the concern with a kiss before it could even leave Kevin's mouth. Pushing into the younger, Tala slowly unzipped Kevin's jacket and pushed a hand up under the younger's shirt, finding a nipple and rubbing it with two fingers. Kevin shifted suddenly, eyes closing tightly. His face heated up, and his legs began to feel like water. Tala kissed him deeper, running his second hand up under the shirt and massaging the other nipple, and Kevin found his fingers wrapping around Talas shoulders tightly. He took a deep breath before Tala's tongue engulfed his own, and the two swallowed the mixture of their saliva. Slowly, Tala pulled off Kevin's jacket with a free hand and lifted up the shirt, pulling it off after quickly separating his lips from the younger's. Kevin shivered in the cold, and Tala smiled before kissing him again. With his own hands, Tala shed his coat and unbuttoned his white shirt slowly, letting it slide off his muscular arms as he leaned in to continue the kiss.

Kevin's fingers wandered up to play with Tala's hair. Tala shed the last of his upper clothing and pressed his bare chest against Kevin's, reaching down to unzip Kevin's pants. At this point, the neko-jin was frowning in confusion and embarrassment, and Tala couldn't help but smile devilishly. He broke the kiss and they both leaned their heads forward, resting their foreheads against each other. Both panting, Tala began to talk.

"This is where it get's really good."

Kevin tightened his eyes closed. "I don't know… we're both guys, isn't that…"

"You weren't complaining a minute ago." Tala said, unbuttoning Kevin's pants. He slowly began to unzip the zipper.

"Yeah, but… I don't know what to…"

Tala smiled, heart racing. _A virgin, my god, yes!_ He thought excitedly. _He'll be so tight, this will be great!_

"Then let me do everything." He breathed, pulling Kevin's pants down and around to his ankles skillfully. He unzipped his own pants and with them gone, they shed the last remaining thing; boxers. Kevin's face was bright red, and he looked like a collage of embarrassment, fear, confusion, and lust. Tala pushed him against the wall and smiled, closing his eyes. They were both already a little hard. Without a single word, Tala reached out, grasped Kevin, and opened his eyes, watching the younger's face go from shocked to embarrassed to longing. He smiled.

"I don't you this is where it gets fun." He mumbled, slowing beginning to rub his fingers along Kevin's member, back and forth. He nipped at Kevin's neck, listening to the younger start to moan louder and louder as Tala worked faster, groping and squeezing. Only a few moments passed before Kevin was erect in his hand, the youth panting and gripping Tala's shoulders.

"My turn." Tala whispered. Kevin shifted.

"N-no… please, d-don't st-stop…" He gasped, digging his nails into Tala's shoulders. The Russian smiled knowingly.

"I'll finish you in you blow me."

Despite the lust, Kevin seemed confused. "W-wha… What?"

"Blow me. Suck my cock."

"… Wha…"

"You'll see." Tala said with a smile, licking Kevin's neck before he began to jerk his hand up and down, Kevin quickly reaching his peak and groaning as he came. Tala's smile sank in, obtaining a seemingly permanent position on his face. Kevin panted, relaxing someone. In his fatigue, Tala wrapped his arms around the younger's waist and turned so that he was leaning against the wall and Kevin was facing it. His eye twitched somewhat as Kevin's eyes opened.

"Now blow me."

A blink. "Huh?"

"Like I said; suck my cock."

Kevin blinked again, nervous once more. "But I-I don't-"

"It's easy; just move down, put your mouth around it, and suck."

Kevin began to shiver again, nervous and scared and unsure of whether or not he wanted to do it. Tala narrowed his eyes slightly, reached up, and placed his hands on Kevin's shoulders. Gently, he began to push him downward, and Kevin didn't fight it.

"Just until I'm hard enough. Don't worry, I'm already half-way there." He mumbled as Kevin reached low enough. The neko-jin closed his eyes tightly and hesitated before Tala stroked his hair.

"Go on."

One more pause, and suddenly, Tala gasped. Kevin took his head in his mouth, careful to watch his fangs, and before Tala was even ready, he was being blown. He took a deep breath, eyes falling closed, and moaned a little. He placed his hands on the back of Kevin's head, pushing it down slowly so that Kevin would take more in, and he did. A little more, a gentle push, deeper, deeper…

Tala gasped suddenly, successful in making the younger deep-throat him. Only a minute more and he was hard, ready for what he had wanted to do since the beginning. Pulling Kevin up suddenly, Tala kissed him full in the mouth and smiled, eyes peering out over Kevin's shoulder for something to use. This was going to be fun, and he wanted it to be perfect.

"Was… W-was that…"

"Perfect. Don't worry, you did great, kid." Tala mumbled, one hand stroking Kevin's thigh. In the dim light, his eyes settled upon one of the straps that hung from a support bar. It was a strap someone might hold onto for support if there was no place to sit. He smiled, sliding Kevin off his lap, and stood.

"Come on." He said, taking Kevin's hand in his. He stepped around the unconscious form of the large man and dragged Kevin behind him, the younger stumbling and shaking. Reaching the strap, he pulled Kevin around, lifted him up under the arms, and told him to take hold of the strap with both hands. Kevin did. Smiling wider, Tala helped Kevin wrap his smooth slender legs his waist, and he held him up. He paused, feeling the younger shake.

"Ready?"

Kevin bit his lip, gripping the strap. He knew what was coming. His face was flushed a deep red.

"N-n-n-no…"

Tala closed his eyes. "Good."

No more pauses. No more waiting. Tala positioned himself and thrust upward into the youth, listening to Kevin's scream fill the car, feeling the younger's tightness, his youth, his warmth, everything. Tala's eyes closed tighter, and before ne knew it, he was thrusting up and down, looking for something, finding it, and hearing Kevin cry out and groan in total pleasure. He clutched Kevin's hips, pushing up and down, moving deeper and deeper inside the younger, pushing hard back and forth. Kevin kept groaning, back arched beautifully in the darkness, and as Tala reached his peak, the neko-jin let loose a howl of pleasure and pain.

"Taaalllaaaaaa!!" He screamed, throwing his head back. Only a moment later, Tala came heavily inside him, and after a few groans and deep exhales, Kevin let go of the strap and fell into Tala's arms. His own arms fell over Tala's shoulder, and together in the darkness, they panted. Finally, Tala grew tired of holding Kevin up and stepped back, falling into one of the seats. Silence ensued for a long time as Kevin curled into Tala's arms, shivering. Finally, Tala allowed himself to look down, and grinned as he spotted Kevin's faint smile.

"You cold?"

A pause, two shaking pants, and then a reply.

"Y-yeah…"

"Okay." Tala muttered, smiling tiredly. "I'll dress you."

"O-okay." Kevin replied without thinking, feeling Tala lean far to the left and lean back. He looked up, spotting that Tala had his clothes in his fists, and smiled weakly.

"Pants first." Tala said, shifting with Kevin so that the younger's pants went on easily. "We didn't use lube, so you'll be sore for a few days."

"Uh-huh…" Kevin breathed, eyes closed; he was exhausted. Tala smiled faintly and lifted the shirt over the younger's head, watching as the small boy lifted his arms up, allowing Tala to pull the top down over his head.

"You're cute." Tala mused. Like a kitten, he thought, though he dared not add it. Still shivering, Tala sighed and took up Kevin's jacket, draping it around his shoulder's and helping him get his arms into it. Kevin, at this point, had let his head fall against Tala's shoulder and let his eyes fall closed.

"No way, no sleeping yet. I'm still naked."

"That's okay…" Kevin mumbled sleepily, before Tala smiled and pushed him off onto the seat beside him. Kevin swore softly, sitting upright. He was groggy, and ignored Tala as he stood and moved naked back to where his clothes were on the floor. He dressed silently, scooped up Kevin's cell phone, and smiled when he realized he had forgotten the boxers. Moving back, he dropped Kevin's into the younger's lap and watched his reaction.

"Don't forget those."

"Oh yeah…"

Silence again. Both were too tired to feel awkward. Tala sat back down, and Kevin leaned against his shoulder, eyes falling closed. He was asleep in minutes. Tala looked down at the closed phone and sighed into the darkness.

Then, like someone had planned the whole event to happen, the lights flickered on, and the train creaked into movement. Tala blinked, surprised, and looked around, squinting in the light. He looked down at Kevin, still asleep by his side, and smiled. There was something about that face, something he couldn't place… something he wanted to see more of. As the train roared through the tunnels, he quickly became aware that they had been closer to the next stop then he would have guessed. As they pulled into the station, Tala tried to nudge Kevin awake, but the younger only mumbled something and ignored him.

"We're here." Tala said it was enough to get Kevin to look up, but the youth only smiled faintly. Tala rolled his eyes, scooped him up, and stood. As the doors opened, he cast only a side glance at the still unconscious thug on the floor before he stepped out into the tunnel.

No one was there. He walked along, effortlessly carrying the neko-jin, and rode the escalator patiently. At the top, he moved to a bench, set Kevin down, and flipped open his phone. He selected a number, pressed enter, and listened. A pause. A ring.

"Hello?"

"You're still up?" Tala asked, a little surprised. Kevin shifted, snuggling into his jacket. On the other end, Lee sounded annoyed.

"Is this Tala? What do you want?"

"Um. You're little friend, Kevin?"

A sharp inhale. "Where is he? Is he alright? What did you do?!"

Tala laughed. "Wow now, calm down. He's right here, he's fine."

"What did you do?!"

"Him."

"… W… What?"

Another smile. "He's perfectly fine, Yin. I just thought I'd call to let you know that he's going to stay at our flat for the night. I'll have him call in the morning."

"Wait, but what do you mean, what happ-"

Tala flipped the phone closed. From the bench, Kevin spoke sleepily.

"Thank you…" He mumbled, giving Tala a weak smile. In reply, Tala shrugged and scooped him back up.

"I'll call a cab. You sleep."

Kevin snuggled into him. "Mmkay…"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Like Tala is that nice. Only in this world, right?


	2. The Morning It All Began

Tala shook the paper in his hand, straightening it out

Blah. I have no internet connection while I type this, so that's why by the time you're reading this I'll have updated a few things onto my deviantart account and updated this story with a chapter or two. And my dog just farted.

Holy crap, what have I been feeding him? x.x

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tala shook the paper in his hand, straightening it out. The headlines and stories were little interest to him, but the stock section was enough to keep him from talking to Bryan in the morning. Across the room, a gentle knock sounded out on the doorframe leading into the kitchen. Curiously, Tala raised an eyebrow and lowered the newspaper.

"You're awake this early?"

Kevin shifted awkwardly. "Um… It's nine."

"I know." Tala stated simply, and then remained silent, expecting the neko-jin to continue the conversation. Kevin shifted again, wrapping his arms around his chest numbly.

"Um… So…"

"You'll have to call Lee."

Kevin blinked, suddenly looking worried. "Yeah. Okay. Can I take a shower first?" He asked quickly, eyes shifting. Tala cocked an eyebrow and looked at him oddly.

"You okay?"

Kevin just stared at him a minute before shaking his head. His mouth fell open a bit, preparing to reply, but the second he was about to speak, in strolled Bryan.

"Morning Tala. Morning… Little dude…" Bryan raised an eyebrow at Kevin's presence before shrugging it off and strolling toward the fridge. Tala looked around at him and glared.

"You don't even care why he's here?"

"Well, I'm assuming you screwed him." Bryan said simply, sparing Tala only a glance. The red-head narrowed his eyes and deepened the glare. Bryan made a double-take, this time looking at Kevin, and smiled at the deep blush on the younger's face.

"Really? Are you gay?"

Kevin shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Uh…"

"Why do you just assume it's because I slept with him?" Tala cut in, turning to face Bryan. The lavender-haired blader smiled.

"Well I would. And we're practically the same, so I figure you would too."

Kevin had turned away at the mention of Bryan's interest in him, and was considering leaving when he remembered that he had to call Lee. Remembering also that he would rather take a shower before he did so, he looked back around and took a deep breath, cutting into the argument that had developed between Bryan and Tala.

"So can I take a shower?"

The bickering stopped for a moment. Bryan shook his head.

"Not in the main bath, the shower head is broken."

Kevin's face sunk, and as sadness washed over him, Tala countered Bryan's comment.

"You're a friend of Rei's, right? He's here too. With Kai. I'm sure you can use the shower in their bathroom if you ask."

"Kai won't like that."

"He won't care if Rei doesn't."

"Then they'll use the main bath again, and last time Rei used the shower head to hold himself up while Kai shagged him. Hence, a broken shower head." Bryan said directly to Tala, forgetting that such news might be awkward for Kevin to hear. Tala didn't care either; he just shook his head.

"Kai's paying for it, so what do you care. It'll be fixed by this afternoon. Kevin," Tala said, turning to face the neko-jin, "It's the third door on the right of the hallway. Just knock, Rei will probably answer."

"And ask for fresh towels, you won't want to use the ones in there after last night."

Tala swatted his shoulder, and Bryan laughed. As Kevin made his way out of the room, he could here Bryan's response;

"Well you heard Rei screaming, didn't you? The water was running, too. They did it again."

Kevin slowed in his pace, gaining Bryan's momentary attention.

"Hey, he's limping! You _did_ fuck him!"

Kevin swerved the corner and leaned against the wall out of sight, pressed his face into his hands, and took a deep breath. Awkward. Awkward, awkward, awkward. Looking up and restraining from glancing back at the kitchen, Kevin made his way down the hallway, passing the first door, then the second, and stopping at the third.

Reluctantly crouched before the expanse of wood that filled the doorway, Kevin reached forward with a shaking hand and tapped his knuckles against the door thrice. There was a pause before he tried again, and he heard mumbling from inside. Like the mouth of a great beast, the door slowly opened to reveal blackness inside, and a deep growling voice spoke.

"What." The voice spat, causing Kevin to flinch. The door was only open far enough for Kevin to make out a sliver of the blackness inside, so the person talking to him couldn't see him either.

"Um… Tala said I could ask if I could take a shower in there."

A pause, as something shifted behind the door. Slowly, it opened more and more until Rei stood in the pale light, a plain white shirt hugging his chest, and short black shorts around his legs. His hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, and it was messy as a bird's nest. Kevin blinked in surprise. It had been well over five months since he last saw Rei, and the elder neko-jin looked as startled as him.

"… Kevin?!" Rei gasped, the fatigued look falling away from his face instantly. Kevin just stared, unable to take his eyes off of Rei's face.

Perhaps now is a good time to point out why things have been so separated between Rei and the White Tigers. Upon coming out to Lee about being gay, not to mention dating Kai, Rei was shunned from the village and was not allowed to see his team again. Gary didn't care, Mariah got over it soon after she found herself a pampering boyfriend of her own, and Lee had let the anger toward Rei silently grow from that point on. Kevin, on the other hand, felt like the only one who didn't think it was weird that Rei loved another guy. He thought it was strange that the other guy was _Kai_, but that had nothing to do with his sexual orientation. So after just about six months of not being allowed to see his older friend, Kevin couldn't help but stare in surprise at Rei's presence.

True, Tala had already said that Rei was there. There should have been plenty of time for Kevin to be shocked. But it didn't seem real when he had heard it. This, however, was simply _too_ real. As Kevin stood there, looking up at Rei with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth, Rei burst into laughter and threw his arms around Kevin's shoulders, pulling him into a suffocating hug. Kevin choked, kicking slightly, before Rei let him down.

"What are you doing here?" Rei laughed. From inside the room, a light clicked on and Kai sat up on the bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Kevin smiled sheepishly.

"Um… It's a bit of a long story."

Rei just laughed and hugged him again, knowing full well that Kevin was the last of his old friends to still like him. Ironic, for the first time he had abandoned his old team, Kevin had hated him for it the most.

"What are you doing here?" Kai asked with less then half the enthusiasm Rei had used. The green-haired teen looked up and blushed a little.

"Ask Tala."

The two before him blinked in confusion before Kevin changed the subject. "Can I use your shower?"

Rei tilted his head to the side before smiling. "Yeah, sure. There are fresh towels in there."

Kevin allowed himself a half-smile, remembering what Bryan had been saying.

"Thanks."

-x-x-x-

Kevin twisted the knob before him, adjusting the temperature of the water to an even warmer setting. Eyes closed, he stood beneath the cascading water and breathed slowly, as if in meditation. His fingers wandered along his hip, passing over a yellowing bruise before wandering upward to his stomach, then chest, then around to his back. He stopped in his movement at least six times, flinching as he pressed his fingers into the various bruises he had obtained in the passed week.

He really had to stop pissing Lee off. Things were only getting worse and worse. But it was so hard, anything could set Lee off recently, especially when Kevin questioned him. But what could he do? He couldn't change who he was just because Lee was angry.

But it could only help if he did. Kevin's fingers reached a large black and blue bruise on his chest, right above his head. He had obtained it the day before when he had argued with Lee, and the punch had knocked the wind right out of him. It was only after he had recovered that he had run off, Lee yelling after him to 'get the hell back here'.

Kevin frowned. When did things get so bad with his friends? They weren't even his friends anymore. Mariah was always out with people, dating, shopping, or in front of the mirror. Gary was frightening, telling everyone to piss off and glaring at Kevin every time he was nearby. And Lee… Lee used to be their captain. He used to protect Kevin, and now he was the one hurting him.

Kevin sighed dejectedly. If Rei were still a member of the team, everything would be different. They would be happy, they would get along. They wouldn't argue and… hit each other. But that wasn't true, and Kevin knew it. It just felt like that, and he wished it was true. He wished things were that easily fixable.

He twisted off the water and stood dripping in the steam that surrounded him. Pushing open the glass door to the shower stall, he stepped onto the small carpet and pulled a towel off the rack, wrapping it around his waist. He stood, gazing into the mirror and studied the bruises for a long time.

Of course Tala hadn't seen them; it was far too dark in the subway car when they had…

Wow. Way to change the subject. Kevin blinked, suddenly aware of several horrifying facts: one, Kevin was no long a virgin; two, his virginity belonged to Tala, of all people; and three, Kevin had been screwed by a _guy_. If Lee found out… if the _village_ found out… He would be exiled! And if Lee found out, which Kevin knew would happen, he would get the shit beat out of him! Panicking, Kevin turned in a little circle of fear and dressed quickly, hanging the towel over the top of the door and leaving it open to air out the steam that had filled the room. Barefoot, he padded half-way cross the bedroom that Kai and Rei shared before he stopped, leaned forward, and shook his head rapidly from side to side.

When he straightened out, he hair was as dry as it would have been if he had toweled it. Tying it back, Kevin shifted his weight from foot to foot and closed his eyes tightly. He didn't have to go explaining to Lee that he had had sex with Tala, but his captain would surely notice the limping. What would he say? What would he use as an excuse for that?

Spotting a phone on one of the bedside tables, Kevin limped toward it and scooped it up, falling into a sitting position on the side of the bed. He looked down at the phone in his hands for several moments before sighing and dialing Lee's number. Here goes nothing.

Out in the hallway, Rei moved quietly along to the doorway of the bedroom he shared with Kai and stopped, leaning against it silently and listening.

"Hi, Lee… No, it's Kevin."

Rei steadied his position and waited to hear the one-sided conversation.

"N-no, I um… I just ran into him. It was really late-"

A pause, as Lee spoke. Rei's eyebrows narrowed. When Kevin spoke again, his voice was hushed and whining, like he was trying to defend himself and failing.

"But Lee, I didn't try to- No, of course not! Won't you listen to me? … Lee, please stop yelling… I'm sorry, Lee, please…"

Rei's frown softened into a look of utmost sadness. He blinked and pushed open the door slightly, peering inside. Kevin was on the bed with his knees drawn up to his chin, looking like he was fighting tears. Even from across the room, Rei could hear the tiny voice of Lee yelling over the phone.

"Lee, please don't say that. I'm sorry." Kevin mumbled. There was a final burst of distant yelling before Lee hung up, and Kevin closed his eyes, fear and sadness evident on his face. Reluctantly, Rei turned out of the room and moved down the hallway a few paces, stopped, and looked back. He gazed at the doorway sadly until Kevin pulled it open and stepped out, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands. Looking up and spotting Rei, Kevin jumped and looked away, desperately trying to hide the fact that he was crying. Rei, however, bit his lip, swept down the hallway, and pulled Kevin into him.

"I'm so sorry." He breathed, as Kevin returned the hug awkwardly. The younger pressed his face against Rei's chest and fought the tears, slowly overcoming the urge to cry with the help of Rei's comforting hushes.

"I gotta go." Kevin said after about ten minutes, pulling away from Rei stiffly. The elder nodded and watched as Kevin moved down the hallway and out of sight, to scoop up his shoes and leave. As the door to the flat closed, Rei slumped down onto Kai's lap and sighed, leaning against the Russian in an attempt to find comfort. Kai, recognizing that his lover was so distraught, was more then willing to provide said console, and wrapped his arms around Rei's waist.

"I shouldn't have let him go," Rei whispered. Kai closed his eyes and rested his chin on Rei's shoulder. "I shouldn't have let him go back to Lee like that."

-x-x-x-

"And don't get me _started_ on how disrespectful it was! I can't believe you followed that bastard back home! Do you have any idea how stupid that was?! And then you have the nerve not to call! Do you _know_ what time it was when that freak called me? Passed _two in the morning_! What the fuck is wrong with you, Kevin?!"

Lee's continued to bellow, his voice ranting and raving through the flat. Kevin sat before him, eyes fixed on the ground, heart racing with fear. Lee threw his hands up, barking about how much trouble Kevin was in. Kevin glanced toward the door. He couldn't leave, and he knew it. Still, he wished the door would burst open. He wished Batman would throw Lee out the window and whisk Kevin to safety. But no, this wasn't a comic book. This was reality; bad things happened, and good didn't always pull through.

"Are you even listening to me, you little shit?!" Lee yelled, leaning toward Kevin and smacking him upside the head. Kevin let out a bit of a yowl in shock and pulled back, eyes looking up at Lee fearfully. The captain of the White Tiger team towered over him, fists clenched, eyes burning with rage. Kevin swallowed and looked around hesitantly.

"God damnit, Kevin, why can't you do as you're told for _once_!" Lee yelled. "Get the fuck out of my face!"

Hurriedly, Kevin scrambled up off the floor and raced out of the room, swinging down the hallway and into his room, closing the door tightly behind him. Breathing fast, he blinked hard twice and looked up.

The room was fairly empty; Kevin had made a point of keeping all his things nearby in case he needed to leave in a hurry. Slowly, he slid down to the floor with his back pressed against the door and sighed, withdrawing his cell phone from his pocket. Like he had many times before, Kevin began to play Tetris to pass the time, knowing that if he left the room he would only face Lee's wrath again. He had gotten quite good at the game, and the only thing that broke off his winning streak now was when he himself decided to flip the phone closed and quit.

Time passed. Slowly, Kevin's thoughts wandered toward the night prior, and the events that had happened. After re-living half of it, he closed his eyes and closed his phone, thinking about Tala's touch and blushing. Had it really happened, or was it all just a dream? Kevin still liked girls, he knew that for sure. But… it had felt so good, so what did that mean? Kevin hadn't looked at another guy like that before, but now he wasn't so sure. It didn't feel weird or wrong at all. It felt normal. Slowly, Kevin opened his phone back up and began to wander around the random settings out of boredom, thumbing through his address list. There, at the top of the list, was Tala's name. Kevin blinked, not knowing how it got in there, and then realizing that Tala had had plenty of time to enter his number into Kevin's phone. Selecting it, Kevin opened a text message and let his thumbs move across the key pad.

_How does my cherry taste?_

He smiled, relived that he could find humor in his current situation. Sending the text, he looked up toward the window and spotted a helicopter in the distance, hovering over the hospital downtown. Kevin watched it as if in a dream for a while before his phone vibrated, and he looked down startled.

_Way better then I thought it would._

Kevin smiled. Then, as he was about to reply, another text came.

_Are you alright? Rei is worried._

Uh-oh. Kevin stiffened and glanced around the room as if expecting Lee to pop out of the woodwork and catch him in the act of responding, but nothing happened.

_Yeah, I'm okay. It happens a lot._

Kevin selected send, and waited. For a while, nothing happened, and Kevin began to regret his choice of words, before the phone vibrated again.

_Rei seems to think Lee is hitting you._

Kevin's eyes widened considerably. Of course, Rei didn't have any proof of this, but he knew that tension and anger had been building in Lee for a long time, and Kevin had a feeling that Rei had overheard his conversation with Lee that morning. Swallowing hard, Kevin replied. For some reason, he couldn't lie to Tala. Not after last night; something had developed in Kevin's outlook on Tala, and it was too intimate for lies.

_Only when I'm really annoying._

Outside, a few pidgins gathered on the ledge of his window and cooed. Vibrating.

_Does staying with me count as being annoying?_

One pidgin flew off in a hurry while the other too dipped their heads and scooted closer together.

_Yes._

Kevin wanted to stop. He didn't like where this was going, nor did he was to deal with the consequences of telling Tala about Lee hitting him. But at the same time, he wanted to continue. He wanted to press on, to cry for help, to have Tala save him. Like that was possible, or something.

_I'll ask again: are you okay?_

This time, Kevin closed the phone. What was he kidding? What did Tala care? The king of ice, the cold-hearted master of the frozen, who would Tala give a damn about Kevin? For some reason, Kevin suddenly felt angry. Tala was just giving him false home, suggesting that he was going to save him when he wasn't. He didn't even know the guy! Tala could be a crack-head gambler with ties to the mafia for all he knew. Kevin closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against his knees, angry and sad and helpless.

The phone vibrated three more times before Kevin turned it off, crawled across the floor to his bed, and climbed up under the covers weakly. Snuggling beneath the blankets, Kevin closed his eyes and let his mind drift into clarity, allowing sleep to claim him. He would deal with everything later.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Bah, bad ending. Oh well. I need to get to bed, and I've been working on and off on this chapter all day. So I've decided to call an end too it.

Sleeping in the middle of the afternoon… hmm… a sign of depression?


	3. Dealing With The Truth

Oooh. My toaster pastry is up.

This chapter is so much better if you listen to Apologize by Timbaland (feat. OneRepublic). Seriously.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rei glared across the table at Tala, who made a point of ignoring him. After explaining how Kevin had come to stay at their flat the night prior, Tala noted quite awkwardly that Rei seemed to hate him. Finally letting it get to him, Tala looked up from his dinner and glared right back.

"What."

"You took advantage of Kevin." Rei growled, as if he had been waiting to say it all day. He probably had.

"He didn't say no." Tala shrugged. Rei leaned forward threateningly.

"That's not what I mean."

Kai put a hand on Rei's shoulder to calm him. "I know you want to beat him up, Rei, but Tala's not lying; he wouldn't force someone into sex."

"I don't care, this is Kevin! He's too young for that!" Rei retorted heatedly, sparing Kai only a dark glance before returning it to Tala. The red-head shrugged.

"Well he's not anymore. Besides, for someone who's so innocent, he gave pretty good head-"

The comment was enough to have Rei launching across the table. Kai jumped, startled at the speed of his lover, before Tala was on his back on the floor, choking with Rei's hands around his neck.

"Take it back you pervert!" Rei hissed, flashing his fangs. With Kevin being the last of the White Tigers to care about Rei, the raven-haired neko-jin felt it his duty to protect the younger as best he could.

Across the room, Bryan was leaning against the counter with his arms across his stomach, howling with laughter. Kai rolled his eyes and paced around the table, calmly prying Rei off of Tala. The neko-jin continued to hiss, glaring daggers toward the red-head who pulled himself off the floor and straightened his shirt.

"Rei, calm down. Tala, stop being an asshole. Bryan, kindly stop laughing." Kai said dully. He slowly let go of Rei, who stood still for a few minutes before launching at Tala again. This time, the red-head managed to turn his back to face Rei so that when the neko-jin tackled him, he was pinned face-down to the floor. Rei twisted both of his arms around behind him and pushed them upward until Tala growled, bucking backwards and throwing Rei off.

"Enough of this bullshit!" He growled. "Have you forgotten that I saved him from getting raped?!"

But Rei wouldn't listen. Kai dragged him hissing from the room, glaring at Bryan who was still laughing. Tala sighed and sat back down after a minute, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his cell phone. Flipping it open unceremoniously, he sighed when he found that Kevin still hadn't texted him back.

He had thought about how their last conversation ended the whole day afterwards, and into that night. Was it even possible for Rei to be right about what Lee Yin had become? A monster so full of rage and hate that he would begin to take it out on someone who had nothing to do with the cause? Thought Tala wasn't personally affiliated with Lee, he didn't seem like the kind of person who would sink that low. But Kevin… He had said that Lee _did_ hit him. How badly? Tala had suffered through his share of abuse in the span of his life, but that kid… Tala found it odd that he was so concerned for the young neko-jin, but he didn't want him to get hurt.

Bryan, at this point, had stopped laughing long enough to grow curious about the distressed look on Tala's face.

"What?" He asked, leaning over Tala's shoulder annoyingly. The red-head flipped his phone closed irritably.

"Nothing, piss off."

Bryan blinked, sobering up to a serious state. Sitting down in the closest chair to Tala, he leaned right back into the other's personal bubble and looked at him seriously.

"Are you actually worried about this kid?"

Tala narrowed his eyes. "Do you expect me not to be?"

Bryan pressed his lips together and turned to face the table, leaning forward. "Well… He's cute… He seems sweet… Just not your type."

"I don't have to love someone to care about them."

Bryan rolled his eyes. "No, the average person doesn't. But you don't care about _anyone_. Anyone but yourself, at least."

Tala clenched his teeth. "Oh _really_?" He growled. Bryan nodded simply, as if there was nothing dangerous in doing so.

"I mean, I get it if you didn't want to watch him get raped, and I even get it if you decided he was hot enough to screw. I saw his face, I know he is. But… Tala, don't look at me like that. Listen, if Rei thinks that Yin is beating this kid up, then _texting_ him is hardly the answer."

Tala opened his mouth to retort, but found that a sharp comeback was not forming in his mind; an alien feeling to the red-head, and yet, it was oddly fitting. Bryan was right; if Kevin was getting hurt because Tala had dragged him home, then he had to go solve it. Hell, if Kevin was getting hurt at all, Tala would go stop it. He stood, looking down at the top of the table sternly as if demanding it to give him directions to where the White Tigers were staying. Bryan watched him think for several moments before rolling his eyes.

"It's in an email on the main computer." He said blandly. Tala shot him a quick glare before turning and sweeping out of the room. Bryan waited silently, listening, until he heard the soft chime of a computer starting up. Smiling to himself, he rolled his eyes and glanced back at the stove where he had been cooking, and jumped to his feet at the sight of his soup bubbling up and over the side of the pot.

-x-x-x-

"Kevin."

At the sound of the stern voice directly outside Kevin's door, the small neko-jin jumped and turned suddenly. Before he could even respond, the door was shoved open, and Lee's dark form filled the doorway. Kevin swallowed.

"Y-yeah?"

"I meant to ask you something."

Kevin took a step back as Lee paced into the room. Much to his horror, Kevin watched as Lee swung the door closed behind him.

"Yeah?"

Lee stopped several feel from Kevin, hands folded behind his back. His gaze was directed at the floor, though Kevin could see how dark it was.

"When Tala called…" He said slowly, "I'd asked him what he had done." Lee paused, looking up at Kevin, whose face was becoming quite pale.

"He said you."

Kevin's heart dropped to his feet. He was aware of how horrified he looked, and he knew that Lee was smart enough to take heavy notice of it as well. But he kept going, his voice heavy and becoming more growl-like with each word.

"You wouldn't happen to know what he meant by that, would you?"

Kevin remained still, frozen in fear, before his head slowly started to shake. He couldn't speak, he couldn't blink, he could only think about how he had been caught; Lee knew now. Despite the small window of opportunity Kevin had to lie his way out of it, he was too petrified to take it. Lee advanced slowly.

"Oh really? Because you certainly look like you do." Lee growled, moving forward despite Kevin's attempts at backing up. "And I would be _so_ disappointed to find that I had another faggot on the team."

Kevin's lower lip quivered. Lee's hands had fallen to his sides and were balling into tight fists. Panicking, Kevin finally snapped his brain out of its frozen state.

"N-no, Lee, I didn't- I mean- Nothing happened, we just-"

"Shut _up_!" Lee bellowed, anger finally visible. Kevin yelped, pressing his back against the wall hard. His heart thudded heavily in his chest, moving as fast as a heart can without giving out. In a flash of movement, Lee dove to the left and scooped up Kevin's phone, which he had thoughtlessly dropped when Lee had started him and entered the room. By the time recognized what Lee was doing, it was too late.

"No, Lee, don't-" Kevin gasped, watching as his chance of not getting hurt flew away. Lee pressed a few buttons and looked through Kevin's old texts, face remaining the same for a moment before growing harder and angrier. After a silent, horrifying moment, Lee let loose a growl of rage and snapped Kevin's phone in half. Kevin felt his eyes water, the horror making him dizzy.

"Lee, please…" He whispered, backing away into the corner as Lee turned with murder in his eyes. He stalked forward, and Kevin felt several tears escape.

"Please don't…" He gasped, but it was too late. Within the instant, Lee's hands were wrapping around Kevin's neck, and his fangs were bared directly before Kevin's eyes.

"Little _fag_!" Lee roared, turning sharply and hurling Kevin into the closest wall. The younger yelped, gritting his teeth in pain as he fell to the floor, but Lee caught his upper arm and pulled him back up.

"How _dare_ you?! You disgusting freak!"

A fist to the gut. Kevin keeled forward and hit the floor on his knees only to have Lee's foot catch him hard in the hip. Lee grabbed a handful of his hair and dragged him a few feet before pulling him up. Swinging him around again, Kevin managed to catch the swirling glimpse of a wall coming toward him, and braced himself, pulling a free arm up.

A crack, a yell, and Lee didn't care. He punched, kicked, threw, yelled, swore, anything to make himself feel better. Neither assailment nor victim were aware of how much time passed, but it ended with Lee standing, panting and growling with fists clenched, standing above Kevin. The young neko-jin was curled on the floor, sobbing pitifully with blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, a split eyebrow, and a bloodied nose. Lee took deep breaths, watching as blood slowly soaked through part of Kevin's shirt near his abdomen.

Turning suddenly, Lee stormed to the door and threw it open, ending the interaction on his terms;

"Slut."

-x-x-x-

'_We're sorry, this number has been deactivated and is no longer in service. Please hang up and try again.' _

Tala blinked. Deactivated? But Kevin's number worked just yesterday… Trying three more times with the same result, Tala turned and collapsed into a sitting position on the side of his bed, resting his forehead in his hands.

"What's happening to you?" He mumbled before recognizing how pathetic he sounded. Kevin was probably just avoiding him. Tala wouldn't be surprised; he had changed his number enough times in an attempt to avoid fan girls that he knew how it was done. But still, Rei seemed to think he was in trouble as well. Perhaps that's why Tala was in a constant state of worry; he was picking up Rei's fears.

_Well then, _Tala though, dropping his hands between his knees and looking blankly at the floor, _maybe I should go talk to Rei._

Easier said than done. As it turned out, Rei had been resting on a divan beside a large window that overlooked the city, biting his fingernails and silently thinking the worst of Tala. As the red-head approached, he was greeted with a sharp glare followed by a cold shoulder.

"Rei."

"Hn."

_He sounds like Kai,_ Tala thought, sighing. Though normally he would enjoy burning bridges and pissing Rei off even more, all he wanted to do was settle things with him.

"Listen, Rei, you're right. I took advantage of him."

"I know." Rei replied simply, still not looking at Tala. Thankfully, if there was one thing Tala had learned about Rei while living with him, it was that he was forgiving.

"But I want to help get him away from Yin."

Now Rei looked around, eyes reflecting the suspicion he felt. Tala moved forward and sat down at the foot of the divan, by Rei's feet. Rei rose to his elbows and blew some hair out of his face before studying the other expectantly.

"This is a text conversation I had with him the other day, a couple hours after he left." Tala said, handing Rei his cell phone. Rei blinked curiously and took the phone, turning it so that he could see it without the glare from outside obstructing his view. Squinting, his eyes flickered back and forth across the small screen and his thumb pressed the down button every so often to read on. A gentle frown creases his eyebrows, but as Tala sat waiting patiently, he felt that some amount of peace came over Rei.

"Why did he stop there?" Rei asked after a few moments of silence passed. Tala sighed again.

"I don't know. My guess is that he didn't want to tell me."

Rei nodded silently, looking at the phone a moment longer before handing it back to Tala.

"Well… He doesn't really seem to be regretting it. So… Until he does, I'll get along with you."

Tala raised an eyebrow. "And if he does?"

"If Kevin starts to feel like he made a mistake, I'm taking his side one hundred percent."

"Fair enough." Tala shrugged. There was another pause before Rei sat up and rubbed his eyes in a stressful way.

"So what do we do?"

"I don't know. I've tried calling him, but his cell phone has been 'deactivated'."

Rei glanced at Tala blankly. "Like… someone ended its service?"

"Or someone broke the phone. Once I threw Bryan's cell off of a balcony and Ian tried to call it; we got a message like that."

Rei blinked. "Well if it's broken, then how…"

A pause passed between the two before they looked at each other sharply, eyes widening.

"Lee."

-x-x-x-

Lee grabbed hold of Kevin's shoulder and flipped him around so that he was facing him, shoving him into the wall beside the door.

"And where the fuck do you think you're going?!"

Kevin bit his lip and fought a whimper. He had to stand up for himself and get out of there, but Lee's presence was engulfing him and keeping him against the wall.

"I'm leaving. Why should I stay here with you?"

Lee growled. "You're part of my team, that's why!"

"Oh, so you own me?" Kevin snapped back, forcing himself to push forward away from the wall. The action startled Lee, who was used to Kevin submitting the second Lee got violent. Quickly, he overcame the surprise and darkened his glare.

"Maybe I do!"

Kevin clenched his teeth. "Really? So you want to own a slutty little faggot, huh? Don't you think I'd be better off away from you, lest you get _infected_?!"

"Why, so you can whore yourself off to other men? I don't think so!"

Kevin felt his eyes mist over. "Shut up! I'm not going to have sex with _anyone_!"

"Damn straight you're not! Re-education, that's what you need. You're coming with me back to the village where they can fix you!"

"_Screw the village_!" Kevin shouted, a tear breaking free. Lee's eyes widened a fraction and he leaned away, shocked at the younger's outburst.

"There's nothing wrong with me, Lee, you're the one with the problem!"

"Don't you dare, Kevin!" Lee started, only to be cut off by Kevin once more.

"Tell me, Lee, since when did you start solving your problems by beating people up?! What happened to the old Lee, the one who was wise and smart and disciplined? Why did he have to be replaced with someone who hurts me all the time?!"

Lee clenched his fists so hard that they started to shake. "You _need _to be beat up! It's the only way you'll learn!"

Kevin fought a sob of rage and utter sadness. "No, Lee, it's just the best way to drive me out of your life!"

Before Lee could even reply, Kevin had spun around and pulled the door to the flat open. Racing out, he didn't slow down when Lee started shouting after him, and he only ran faster when he heard Lee start to chase him down the hallway. Finally allowing his tears to flow freely, Kevin cried as he ran, recognizing that Lee had stopped only a few yards from the door to their flat. He continued to run for a long time, winding down the staircase and out through the lobby, bursting onto the street and pushing onward. People spared him a startled glance as he sped by, but not one seemed to care enough to say something.

Beside him, his side bag bumped against his hip as he ran, and slowly he moved to a walk before collapsing onto a park bench. During his blind running, he had stumbled into park, and as the light began to slowly fade, making the sky a grapefruit pink, he pressed his swollen eyes into the palms of his hands and cried.

-x-x-x-

Rei shoved his fist down the arm of his jacket, struggling to pull it on quickly while Tala laced up his shoes. Both moved quickly, panic setting in heavier with each passing moment.

"Well what are we going to say when we get there? 'Hey, yeah, um, we don't really like how you're treating Kevin, so we're going to take him with us'."

Rei sighed irritably at Tala's pessimism. "Hopefully Lee won't be the one to open the door."

"Well if we're going to ride on that hope, then maybe we can use pixie magic on him if he does."

"Tala." Rei growled threatening. Tala rolled his eyes and stood upright, pulling the door open. Together, the pair stalked down the hall, stood awkwardly beside each other in the elevator, and moved out to the street. Sweeping along, only Rei noticed the beauty of the sky above while they moved, crossing several blocks before riding a monorail across town. Neither spoke much as they traveled, only briefly commenting on the way to approach the issue at hand. Finally arriving at the building where the White Tigers were staying, they rode the elevator up and found the number of the flat they had been searching for.

"Ready?" Tala asked calmly, jaw set. Rei answered by reaching forward and wrapping his knuckles against the door. Tala smiled slightly at the neko-jin's tactics, affiliating them to be akin to his own. There was a silent, tense pause before the sounds of locks being undone filled the air, and before they were ready the door parted open.

It was not Lee standing to great them, but Mariah. She was smacking bubble gum between her white, perfect teeth, wearing slightly revealing designer clothing. Her wrist was clanking full of bangles, and after the initial shock of seeing Rei, she leaned against the doorway and planted a hand on her hip. A hostile look took over her facial features, amplified with make-up.

"What do _you_ want?" She asked, blowing a bubble with her gum. Rei shifted awkwardly, even more surprised to see what Mariah had become.

"Kevin." Tala said sternly, jaw set. Mariah looked at him blankly before shrugging.

"He ran out. He and Lee were yelling and then he left, and Lee left soon after him."

Rei blinked. "What? Why, what happened?"

"Hell if I know. Those two never get along."

"Mariah," Rei asked seriously, sorrow echoing through his voice, "does Lee hurt Kevin?"

Mariah's cold stare faltered, and Rei could see some of the old Mariah cracking through. Once upon a long lost time, her and Kevin had been the best of friends. After a pause, Mariah pushed off the doorway, spit out her gum into a trashcan beside the door, and straightened her shirt.

"He's always getting new bruises. I don't like to think about where they're from, but I wouldn't be surprised..."

"Don't you hear it happening?"

"No." She said, looking up to meet Rei's eyes. "I'm out most of the time. I come home and he looks like he's been crying. He tries to talk to me sometimes, but… I always push him away."

Rei's eyebrows narrowed. "Why?"

Mariah was silent a moment before she looked up at him sharply. "Because it all sucks, okay? Why do you think I spend all my time with my new friends? It's the only way to escape this hell-hole of a team! And talking to Kevin just makes it so obvious!"

"You could help him! You could confront Lee, you could leave with him and find someplace else to stay! How could you just let it happen?" Rei said emphatically. Mariah bit her lower lip, her eyes beginning to water. Before she could reply, Tala cut in.

"Where did Kevin go, Mariah?"

The pink haired girl swallowed hard and shook her head. "He didn't say where. But I'm afraid Lee might have gone to find him."

Tala turned sharply to leave, but Rei remained behind staring sadly at Mariah, who couldn't look him in the eye.

"I'm sorry," She whispered. Rei shook his head.

"Tell that to Kevin."

And with that, he turned and left with Tala.

-x-x-x-

"Hey kid… wanna buy a pocket watch?"

Kevin said nothing, just hugged his arm tighter to his chest and pressed his forehead against his knees, refusing to make eye contact. The man stepped closer, leaning in.

"I said, wanna by a _pocket watch_?" He growled, reaching to withdraw a potential weapon from the inside of his jacket. As his hand vanished inside, another hand landed upon his shoulder and spun him around. He gasped, coming face to face with the flaming hate-filled eyes of a certain red-head, and the man suddenly remembered that he had to be at the place for the thing in ten minutes. As he ran off, Kevin looked up weakly at the figure in the growing darkness, blinking in surprise.

"Tala?" He whispered, his eyes puffy and red from crying. Tala nodded as Rei came up beside him, and Kevin repeated the other's name in the same whispering voice. In an instant, Rei was by his side, letting Kevin lean against him. Tala looked at the youngest neko-jin with concern, noting the black eye and cut lip. Empathy took over, an unnatural feeling to Tala, but expected all the same.

"Kevin, what happened?" Rei asked softly after several moments passed. Kevin sniffled and looked up at him.

"L-Lee got really mad at m-me."

Rei's eyebrows furrowed with concern. "For what?"

Kevin closed his eyes and made a half-hearted motion towards Tala, unable to word what he had in mind. Both understood anyway. Tala set his jaw and swept down to the other side of the bench, startled when Kevin pushed off of Rei gently and fell against his chest. Tala blinked, having not expected such willing contact, but when he looked at Rei the other just shrugged. Mustering a response, Tala hugged the younger right back.

"You can stay with us, Kevin. It's okay." Rei said, leaning forward and resting his chin on Kevin's shoulder, nuzzling the side of the younger's face. Kevin made a movement that suggested he was nuzzling back, and Tala watching with slight jealousy. Perhaps it was a cultural thing, but that was just _to_ suggestive for Tala's gutter of a mind.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

I'd love to keep going, but that's a good place to stop. Hopefully the next chapter will come quickly, now that I'm in the mood to write this story. -


	4. Partially Rescued

Here's the next chapter. I don't really have a set song for it, and it will probably sound a little rushed, but this is the best I can do when I'm not in the mood to write. P.S.; Expect grammar and spelling errors.

NOTE: Rest in peace, Bernie Mac. I was really shocked to hear about his death. :(

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Ah-ow!" Kevin flinched twice, trying to pull away from the alcohol Rei was dabbing on one of his cuts. Rei gripped the cotton ball between his forefinger and index finger and held Kevin's elbow tightly to keep him still, but Kevin's shoulder was still bleeding and he wouldn't stop squirming.

"I know it hurts, Kevin, just please hold on." Rei murmured, pressing the soaked cotton back onto the wound. Kevin hissed in pain before silencing it by biting his lower lip.

"And don't do that, it's split; you'll make it worse."

Kevin groaned and flinched again before Rei sat upright and went about applying a medium sized bandage to the wound. It was only the forth one he had cleaned up, and he still had to deal with the puncture wound in Kevin's side. The younger had been holding a clean cloth against it while Rei cleaned up his arm, and as Rei carefully pulled it away, he winced.

"And you don't know how you got it?"

Kevin sighed delicately. His other wrist throbbed and he flinched again, causing Rei to raise an eyebrow.

"I'm not-"

"I know, it's my arm."

Rei sighed. "Oh. Kai's coming in a minute to look at it."

"Okay."

Rei remained still for a moment. "So you don't know how it happened?"

"I think," Kevin began weakly, fighting fatigue and the lack of will power to respond, "that it was the corner of the dresser. It's got this edge to it that sticks out."

"And he threw you against it?"

"Swung. He threw me against the wall and swung me around…"

Kevin's reply was hardly more then a whisper. Rei bit his lip and looked at the younger sadly for a moment before going about attending to the puncture wound. As Kevin flinched again, the door opened and in strolled Kai. It was obvious to Kevin, who looked up at him right away, that Kai was not emotionally stirred by what was going on. Not really. He just tried to look sad so that Rei wouldn't get cross with him.

Kneeling down beside the bed where Rei and Kevin sat, Kai carefully picked up Kevin's left arm with both hands and looked at it closely a moment. Kai had hardly spoke to Kevin, and with the blue triangles washed off, Kevin could see why Rei was so in love with him; he was drop dead gorgeous. Face flushing slightly, Kevin was about to say something before Kai slowly began to rotate Kevin's arm to the left. Instantly, Kevin cried out in pain, causing Rei to jump backwards and tumble off the bed ungracefully, the first aid kit and clean fabrics falling down with him. Kai didn't even seem to notice, just made a thoughtful noise before turning the arm the other way, producing the same pained howl. Straightening it out again, Kai carefully took Kevin's hand and pushed it forward slowly until Kevin yelled, and then pulled it back until Tala burst into the room thinking that Kevin was being murdered.

"Broken. Badly."

"No fuck!" Tala gasped, flying to the bed beside Kevin, who had been reduced to tears by the pain. Rei frowned and pulled himself up off the floor, brushing some sealed bandage packets from his hair.

"Well how do we take care of it?"

"We can't. We have to take him to the hospital."

"B-but L-L-Lee wi-will…" Kevin stuttered, gasping for breath as he slowly recovered, Tala draped an arm over his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

"He won't come near you if we're there." Kai said matter-of-factly, winking. Kevin blushed again, and as he opened his mouth to reply, Kai leaned forward and kissed Kevin's forehead. This action, however platonic it may have been, caused Kevin's throat to close up and his eyes to widen. His face burned. Rei sat up straight, ridged and shocked. Tala glared, both jealously and irritation blending on his face. Kai just smiled his most Kai smile and stood.

"I'll call ahead so we don't have to wait. Oh, and, Tala?" He said, stopping at the doorway.

"I see why you fucked him."

-x-x-x-

Lee stormed into the living room, fists clenching and unclenching. As he swept into the kitchen, however, he was cut short by a strange sound; female sobbing. It was gentle, but it was there. Turning, he found his sister sitting at the table, her face in her hands, crying. Confused, as Lee hadn't seen her like this in ages, he crossed the room and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Mariah?" He asked with concern lost somewhere in his words. Mariah twisted away from him and turned, standing up suddenly. When her eyes met his, he was shocked to find a glare.

"What… What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with _you_?!" She snapped, having allowed anger to build up ever since Rei had left to find Kevin. She hardly remembered that Tala was there too. Lee blinked, surprise evident on her face.

"I can't believe-" She paused to reach up and wipe make-up away with the back of her hand, "you would sink so low! And I can't believe I didn't do anything to s-stop you!"

"W-…what?!" Lee gasped, just coming out of his state of shock.

"Kevin, you idiot!" Mariah screamed. Lee flinched at her tone. "You beat him up all the fucking time, don't you?! And now you've gone to far, and he's out there alone, cold, and hurt! It's ten at night, for fuck's sake!"

Never had Mariah said fuck to Lee's face, let alone so frequently and with such venom. He stared.

"I…" She wiped the rest of her makeup off, "I can't even look at you! My own brother… You're such a _monster_!"

Lee moved to reply, but Mariah stormed out of the room and down the hall shut, slamming the door shut behind her. Lee stared blankly after her, mouth wide open, before things caught up with him. As his breathing grew heavier, a savage snarl erupted from his chest, and he let it out by slamming his fist down onto the face of the table.

_This is all his fault!_ Lee thought angrily, falling into a chair and gripping the sides of his head with both hands. _That little slut told her and got her all upset, didn't he?! I'll kill him! He's probably in an alley giving a businessman a blow job right now! Little shit… _

Slowly, Lee reclaimed his even breathing and glared gravely at the table. _No,_ he thought, rationalizing his ideas. _No, I'll just drag him home. They'll keep him there. He'll learn. Everything will be back to normal then. _

Lee looked up at the clock, trying to think about how he might go about doing that. Finally realizing that he couldn't, he buried his face in his hands and growled again.

"Fuck." He spat.

-x-x-x-

"… Kevin?"

Slowly, violet eyes lifted up, looking into the ice blue pools. Tala bit his lip gently.

"You okay?"

"No."

"…"

"But… It's okay. I didn't really… I mean, it's not your fault. I'm sorry."

Tala raised an eyebrow. "_You're_ apologizing to _me_?"

Kevin opened his mouth to reply and stopped. They had returned home from the hospital thirty minutes ago, having been there for four hours, and despite fatigue, neither wanted to fall asleep.

"It's alright." Tala said, waving a hand to dismiss the subject.

A pause.

"Tala?"

"Yeah?"

"Did… I mean… did you only save me because you wanted to…"

Another pause, Kevin finding himself unable to continue, before Tala got it. He shook his head suddenly, surprised at what the other was asking.

"No! No, of course not. I knew you were on he subway the second I sat down, I just… I didn't say anything until that creep started trying to rape you, and then I made myself known."

Kevin blinked twice, somewhat sleepily, before looking up at Tala again. "But why did you…"

Tala looked away, suddenly feeling embarrassed. He hated this feeling. "Well… When I actually saw your face, I guess…" He sighed irritably. "You're really cute, okay? And I was coming home from a movie and was a little turned on, so it was on my mind, and the next thing I knew I was…"

He stopped suddenly, noticing the deep blush that graced the other's cheeks. Frowning, Tala watched as Kevin diverted his eyes and insisted on straightening his play white t-shirt just so. Without a sound, he reached up and cupped Kevin's chin with one finger, lifting his face. Kevin blinked, blush returning, before Tala leaned forward and pressed his lips against the younger's, careful not to hurt the injured lower lip. Kevin's eyes fell closed without him realizing it, and as the digital clock flickered to the next minute, the kiss deepened to tongue on tongue.

Slowly, Tala leaned around and lowered Kevin onto the bed, tugging the blankets out of the way just in time. Kevin let the fingers of his good hand wrap around Tala's shirt collar as their tongues wrestled, lips rubbing and rolling off of each other before making contact again. Too tired for further action, Tala carefully rested Kevin's head on the pillow and rolled over beside him on the queen bed. Moving under the covers and adjusting his body for sleep, Tala kissed Kevin whenever he could, and as he reached blindly behind him to turn the light off, Kevin managed to laugh gently at his tactics.

"Night Tala." He murmured sleepily, rubbing his right eye with the back of his right hand. He yawned, causing Tala to both become smitten and yawn as well, before the light clicked off.

"Goodnight, Kevin. Sleep well."

Kevin blinked his eyes open, startled at this comment. "What?"

"Sleep well. It's a term I use when I want to wish someone a goodnight sleep." Tala said, trying and failing to not sound sarcastic. Kevin rolled onto his back and looked toward Tala.

"I know… I just haven't heard it in a really long time."

Tala returned the look unblinking. "Neither have I."

Kevin smiled faintly in the dark. "Well, goodnight Tala. Sleep well."

Tala laughed gently through his nose. "You too."

-x-x-x-

Gently, as if the light itself was trying not to wake them, the sun rose and filtered through the closed drapes that framed the window. Rei shifted in Kai's arms and curse, finding that his ass was sore. Kai grumbled something in his sleep, and Rei elbowed him in the ribs.

"We forgot lube."

"Hmnweah?"

"We. Forgot. Lube." Rei said bitterly, flinching. More awake now, Kai was silent for a moment before he started to snicker. Rei looked up at him sharply.

"What?"

"I didn't forget."

Rei blinked, taken aback, before growling and digging his elbow into Kai's chest. The Russian flinched and laughed though the pain, rolling away. It hadn't been the first time Kai had pulled this stunt, but Rei swore it would be the last. Sitting up, he swore beneath his breath and climbed out of breath, limping slowly across the room.

As he moved, the limp became less and less noticeable; Rei had gotten quite good at hiding it over the time he'd been with Kai. Kai lifted an arm up in the air and waved goodbye before letting it collapse onto the mattress beside him. As he resumed sleep, Rei opened the door to their room and stepped out into the hallway, determined to check on Kevin.

And make sure Tala didn't take advantage of him again. Of course, despite the fact that Rei was positive he had, he was surprised at what he saw when he opened the door to their room.

No blankets bundled on the floor. No pair of naked bodies cuddled together beneath a white sheet. Just Kevin on one side, somehow managing to curl around the cast that constricted the whole lower section of his left arm, and Tala on the other, facing away from Kevin, shirtless but not sexually fatigued. Relieved at this, Rei moved quietly across the room and sat down on the side of the bed that Kevin was on, gently nudging his shoulder. The youngest in the room woke with a start;

"Don't hit me!" He gasped, jerking upright before falling back down onto the pillow. Rei narrowed his eyes in concern and leaned forward a little, stroking Kevin's shoulder to reassure him.

"It's okay, Kev. It's just me."

Slowly, Kevin's eyes opened and looked up at Rei, the violet swirls of color glistening in the morning light. It was dim in the room, but Rei could still make out the bandages and bruises on the younger's form.

"How did you sleep?" Rei asked, trying to keep things on a light side. Kevin yawned slightly and rubbed his eyes.

"Good." He said simply, in a voice that a child might use when they were cautiously answering an adult. Rei felt himself smile.

"I'm glad. Is your arm okay?"

"Sore."

"Yeah," Rei said with a bit of a sigh, "Dr. Metzler said it would be. What do you want for breakfast?"

"Hm?" Kevin looked up at him with a confused twist of the eyebrows.

"Breakfast. You know… pancakes, muffins, bacon, eggs, hash browns… What are you in the mood for?"

Beside Kevin, Tala rolled right around and looked at Rei with eyes that had no hint of sleep in them.

"All of that?"

Rei blinked before glaring. "You were awake?"

"Yeah. I woke up about twenty minutes ago, but you," he gestured to Kevin and began to talk to him instead of Rei, "were sound asleep, and I didn't want to wake you."

Kevin just nodded sleepily. "I'm just worn out…"

"Yeah, well, who wouldn't be." Rei said softly. There was a pause before Tala spoke.

"So… could you make all that for breakfast?"

Rei looked at him threatening before his face softened. "Yeah, well, I guess. Spencer, Ian and Bryan need to eat too."

Kevin looked up at him. "They're here?"

"They will be. The three of them went for a night of site-seeing after Kai threatened to kill them in their sleep."

"Why?" Kevin asked, forcing himself to wake up now.

"Let's just say it had something to do with money and women."

"Okay." Kevin mumbled, not wanting to delve into what that meant.

-x-x-x-

Bryan extended his arms high above his head, stretching as he walked.

"Would you just drop it already?"

"No, it was your fault!" Beside him, Ian continued to complain about the twist of events that had them staying in a hotel over night. Spencer, like always, remained silent. Finally reaching the door to their flat, Bryan unlocked it and pushed it open, wandering inside with an expression that suggested he couldn't even hear Ian. The instant they were inside, a waft of something delicious and freshly made filled the air around them, and they found themselves drawn toward the dining room by some unknown force. Bryan stumbled in first, eyes closed slightly at the delicious smell, before he noticed something unusual.

"Hey, kid, you're back." He said, matter-of-factly, stopping short. Kevin looked over his shoulder and smiled weakly, nodding. From behind him, Ian smacked into Bryan, and Spencer stumbled into Ian, the last two of which started to argue with each other. Bryan just shot them a glare before stepping forward and ruffling Kevin's hair.

"You okay?"

Kevin just shrugged, smiling at him. Spotting the cast and bandages for the first time, Bryan raised an eyebrow and answered his own question.

"Guess not, huh?"

By this time, Ian had noticed Kevin and managed to slip forward, leaning onto the table next to the neko-jin. Smiling suggestively at him, Ian raised an eyebrow and spoke.

"Hey there. What brings you here?" He asked flirtatiously, leaning more toward Kevin slowly, who leaned away awkwardly. Tala noticed and narrowed his eyes, having been seated on the other side of Kevin. Wrapping an arm around the younger's shoulders, Tala leaned in and smile through a glare.

"Me." He said, sounding both happy and threatening at the same time. Ian's face paled somewhat before he backed away, defeated and glaring. In this time, Spencer had moved quietly to the other side of the table and had taken a seat, and Bryan and shoved Ian out of the way and sat down on the other side of Kevin. Still annoyed but less threatened by Bryan, Tala leaned away from Kevin and removed his arm, letting his hand fall under the table. He blinked suddenly as Kevin's fingers wrapped around his, and looked toward the neko-jin curiously.

He was met with a thank-you smile, and returned it with a you're-welcome-but-if-he-keeps-bothering-you-I'll-kill-him smile.

"Breakfast is served." Rei said dramatically, sweeping out of the kitchen while masterfully balancing four separate dishes on his arms. Kai followed, carrying two large platters, and before anyone could prepare themselves, the table was covered with pancakes on a silver tray, eggs in a fancy bowl, a muffin mountain on a large plate, bacon still sizzling under a silver lid, and a tall pitcher of orange juice. After a moment of shock, chaos erupted and in only a matter of seconds, plates were filled. Tala helped with Kevin's, who had slight difficulty with his cast, and then they all set in on their meals.

Talking didn't happen until everyone had consumed at least on pancake. Bryan started spilling a tale of how Ian had been rejected by everyone he had flirted with. In his defense, Ian pointed out that Bryan had been unsuccessful with a rather beautiful girl.

"I thought you were gay." Kevin mumbled, looking up at him curiously. Bryan shrugged.

"Half right. I'm bi."

"What's that?" Kevin asked, blinking several times. Several sets of eyes turned to him curiously.

"It's… when you like guys _and_ girls."

"Like you." Tala cut in, nudging Kevin, who blushed faintly.

"How did you…"

Tala smiled. "I guessed. Am I right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Cute." Rei smiled. Kai looked over, smiling because Rei smiled, and leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek, but Rei shoved him back as revenge for the night before. Smirking at this Kai rolled his eyes and went back to his bacon.

"You know what I was thinking?" Spencer asked slowly, eyes drifting from Kevin to Rei.

"If there's so much distress with your old friends, why is it only now affecting us?"

Rei blinked, not noticing the withdrawn silent look that fell over Kevin's face. "Well… I don't know. I felt like if I tried to contact them it would only make things worse."

Spencer nodded silently and looked toward Kevin expectantly. He glanced up, swallowing, but remained silent. Spencer raised an eyebrow before catching Tala's look, and blinked.

"Um… never mind, it's not the best breakfast content."

"So Kai," Ian said suddenly, recognizing the tension in the air, "what did you get up to last night with us gone?"

Kai shot him a dark look. "None of your business." He spat. Rei sighed.

"Tala and I went out to find Kevin, and spent the rest of the night bandaging him up. Then Kai said we had to take him to the hospital. It was freakishly late when we got back, so we just went to bed."

"Really?" Bryan asked boredly, a small smile curling the corner of his mouth. Kai turned the glare on him. The other just smiled wider.

Beside them, Tala held Kevin's hand tighter under the table, the cast making it difficult to grip. Kevin glanced up at him, smiling weakly, before Tala let impulse take over. Leaning forward, he kissed Kevin gently and let it last a few moments before leaning back. Kevin smiled at him, looking embarrassed, and when Tala looked up from his face, everyone was staring.

Rei looked stiff and annoyed. Kai smiled and shook his head. Ian looked pale and jealous. Spencer and Bryan had raised eyebrows. Kevin kept his face downturned, blushing, while Tala sat upright.

"Yeah. Get over it." He said, lifting a strip of crispy bacon to his mouth. From his half-hidden position of shame, Kevin smiled and laughed gently. This action caused Rei to smile, which caused Kai to smile, which caused Bryan to relax now that Kai didn't look like he was still going to kill him in his sleep, which caused Ian to recognize this and smile, which caused Spencer to roll his eyes and smile at the chain reaction it had all caused.

The smiling, however, was disrupted by the sound of a phone ringing, which despite its distance from the table, still made Kevin jump. Tala glanced at him momentarily.

"Not it." He said. His outburst was followed by echoing from several other voices around the table before Kai rolled his eyes and stood, gliding out of the room to find the phone.

"But it was all Bryan's fault." Ian suddenly continued once Kai was gone. "I mean, he was the one who had the idea of going."

"I was joking, you were the one that insisted on it."

"Spencer started the car."

"I was bored." Spencer countered. Bryan rolled his eyes.

"You're never bored. You could have spent time working on that book of yours, instead of-"

"_Shhh!_" Suddenly, Rei was shushing them harshly. Startled, they looked toward him with raised eyebrows, and he pointed toward the doorway that led out of the dining room. Every face turned just as Kai moved back into the room with a dark, thoughtful look on his face. A long silence ensued as he sat down and stared at his plate before looking up and sweeping his gaze around the table.

"That was Yin. He's dropping out of the tournament, and claims that if Kevin," He said, looking directly and the young neko-jin while he spoke, "isn't 'returned to him immediately', he'll make it public that we're all 'faggots'."

Silence. Rei stared at Kai, unbelieving. Tala slowly looked toward Kevin, to find the younger's face completely pale. No one spoke for a long time before Bryan sat upright.

"Fuck him." He said suddenly, causing Kevin's eyes to widen slightly. Rei looked toward him sharply, mouth falling open a little to reply, but Bryan cut him off.

"I'm not letting this kid go back there, Rei. His being here makes you happy, it makes Tala less of a tight-ass, and hell, he's cute to look at. Lee can suck eggs."

Kevin looked up at Bryan with a small smile before it faded. "But…" He mumbled, looking toward Rei and Kai, "What about you guys?"

Kai shifted and glanced over at Rei thoughtfully. "Maybe it's time everyone knew."

Rei looked at him sadly. "Are you sure you're okay with it?"

"Are you?"

"…" Rei looked down at his plate before a small smile grew on his face. Looking back up toward Kai, he nodded slowly. "Yeah."

Kai smiled. "Well then," he said, looking toward Kevin, "welcome home."

Kevin smiled, looking up toward Tala happily who smiled back. As the youngest grew distracted, the smiles on the faces of Kai, Rei, and Bryan all faded;

It wasn't going to be that easy, and they knew it.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Well, at least Kiki is happy… For now. He's so cute as an uber uke! But it looks like the others are worried now. Maybe Kai didn't share everything Lee said on the phone…


	5. Vice Grip

Rei wandered aimlessly for several moments before arching sharply into the hallway

Sophomore year is easy-peasy so far. I hope to high hell it stays this way. Anyway, here's the next installment of Falling Apart. I personally love coming home from a rough day at school and getting to read a new chapter to a fic I like, so hopefully this is a fic you like, and you'll get that feeling too.

Let's see… Nothing to descriptive in this chapter, but there is a bit of a plot twist towards the end…. Well… At least, one should hope there is, because stories tend to suck without twists. At least, that's what I've come to learn. Who knows, maybe I just read strange books.

Song suggestion while you read this chapter: Red Jumpsuit Apparatus – Face Down

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Five Weeks Prior_

"Were the hell have you been?" Lee asked irritably, shooting an annoyed glare across the room to the door that Kevin had just walked through.

"I…" Kevin began before hesitating. He looked as though he had been crying, and a black eye was developing.

"Gary hit me." He said after a moment of thought. Lee looked at him blankly.

"Well what did you do?"

The younger blinked, having expected something much more comforting. Lately, everyone had been acting heartless.

"Nothing!" Kevin mewed in his defense, stopping before the fridge. Opening one of the double doors, he had to stand of tip-toe and reach high above his head to get hold of the ice pack he was after.

"Bullshit. You always do something, Kevin, you're a pain in the ass."

Kevin pressed the icepack to his face and winced at the cold sting. "But I didn't! I just asked him to turn down the television, and he got really scary!"

"'Scary'? What are you, five?"

"Lee…" Kevin moaned quietly, feeling wisps the helplessness that surrounded him. He pulled a towel off of the rack near the stove and wrapped the icepack in it before applying it to his face again.

"Oh don't start crying. Why don't you grow a pair and punch him back?"

Kevin looked at him unbelieving through his uncovered eye. "What? Lee, he's huge! He'd kill me!"

"In that case, don't hit him back until I have a camera." Lee said passively, rolling his eyes and turning back to the newspaper. Kevin stared at the back of his head for several moments before Lee told him to piss off. Defeated and heavily offended, Kevin milled out of the room and down the hall to his own room, sighing twice on the way. Before he could reach his door, he passed Mariah's room where he knocked twice. The door slowly swung open with the limited effort, and revealed Mariah sitting at a vanity desk, applying make up in the old fashion mirror. In one hand she had a cell phone and the other a mascara brush.

"Like any of it matters anyway, I mean she's such a tramp she'd probably just blow him and that would be that. Like, seriously." She was saying into the phone. There was a pause before she laughed, finally noticing Kevin in the mirror. She sighed.

"Hold on, Kathy." She said irritably. Turning, she looked at Kevin with no patience in her eyes.

"What." She stated, rather then asked. Kevin looked down at his toes.

"Um… I was wondering if you wanted to hang out, maybe?"

Mariah just stared at him, making no noise. Kevin felt his face heat up somewhat before Mariah snapped around.

"Oh, no, I'm still here. Sorry about that." She glanced back at Kevin and waved him away with her hand, and recognizing that he wasn't even welcome there, the youngest member of the White Tiger team turned solemnly and covered the rest of the hallway to his room. As he opened the door, a single tear trailed down his cheek from his swollen eye.

-x-x-x-

Rei wandered aimlessly for several moments before arching sharply into the hallway. As he moved, his pace slowed at the sound of something strange. Closing the gap of space between him and the room it was coming from, Rei's eyes narrowed as he recognized the sound;

Squeaking, much like a mattress makes when someone is shoving it back and forth. Suddenly recognizing to be the room that Tala and Kevin had been sharing for the past week, his eyes widened and he burst forward, hand wrapping around the doorknob within the second. With a twist and a shove, the door was pushed open and Rei swung in, shoving a pointed index finger in the direction of the bed.

"Aha!" He exclaimed, ready to see Tala and Kevin up to sexual activities on the bed. Startled silence ensued for a moment before Rei blinked, his hand lowering a fraction.

There on the bed, stretched out in an awkward position with the corners of a sheet in his grip was Tala, struggling to get it around the far corner of the large mattress. He blinked over his shoulder and Rei, who let his eyes dart to the left where Kevin sat on the floor, two huge piles of pennies before him. He had one between thumb and forefinger, preparing to move it from one pile to the other. Both boys looked at Rei with curious eyes, Tala suddenly recognizing what Rei had thought they were up to and climbing to his knees on the bed.

"Aha what, Rei?" He asked evenly, eyes narrowing. Kevin looked between the two with a clueless air about him.

Rei blinked several times before dropping his arm. He cleared his throat.

"Aha nothing… wrong room." He mumbled, before double-taking towards Kevin and then turning and leaving, pulling the door shut behind him. Face burning, Rei slowly milled away from the door. At only four paces away, the squeaking started back up again.

_Putting a sheet on the mattress… God I must have looked like an idiot, _Rei thought with narrowed eyes. Suddenly realizing that Tala would never let him live it down, Rei recognized that he would have to play along to avoid future humiliation. Looking ahead of himself, he spotted the next door and stalked towards it. Not bothering to pause and collect himself, Rei grabbed the handle and threw open the doorway, shouting 'Aha!' as loud as his lungs would allow, to make sure that Kevin and Tala heard him. Then, without even checking to see if someone was in there, he turned, slammed the door closed, and stalked away.

Crouched behind the bed out of view of the door, Ian remained petrified in fear. The pornographic magazine slipped from his fingers, and after a horrifying moment of silence, he swallowed hard and zipped his pants back up.

-x-x-x-

Tala heaved a sigh and slumped down onto the bed in defeat.

"Fucking mattress." He growled, rubbing his eyes. Opening them again and blinking twice, he rolled his head to the right and gazed down at Kevin, lost in his counting. Raising an eyebrow, Tala spoke.

"Why are you doing that aga-"

Before he could finish properly, Kevin's forefinger flew up into the air to signal him to shut up. Tala blinked and sighed, rolling his eyes. Flipping suddenly off the bed, he wrapped his arms tightly around Kevin's torso and gently licked the younger's neck, causing Kevin to jump and then flinch.

"Gah, what?!" He squeaked, several pennies sparkling through the air and rolling to a stop on the plush carpet. Tala smirked.

"I know something we could do that's more productive then this." He whispered. Kevin nudged him with his elbow in an attempt to get him to move.

"Tala, I really want to know how many pennies there are. It's an OCD thing, okay?"

Tala snickered. "OCD? That's cute. But I'm being serious."

"Me too!" Kevin whined, shoving away and again failing. "Tala, I don't want to have sex."

Tala blinked before pouting playfully. "But don't you want to have a little fun?"

Kevin bit his lower lip softly. "Yeah, but… I mean, no! Listen, I just don't want to, okay? Lee said-"

"Oh sod what Lee said!" Tala growled. "That's your excuse for everything! Was he really that controlling?"

Kevin swallowed. There was a pause as Tala recognized his mistake of asking Kevin a question about Lee, and sighed.

"He's a megalomaniac, Tala." Kevin finally said, softly. The elder blinked.

"A what?"

"A megalomaniac. Someone who thinks they have power and importance over everything. He has to control his environment and everything in it."

Tala looked directly at the side of Kevin's face, eyebrows narrowed. There was a long pause as the information sank in.

"And… you're part of that environment?"

Kevin sighed before nodded slowly. "Yeah. And my leaving shook up the control he thought he had. He thinks he owns us."

"He doesn't own you."

"I know that!" Kevin grumbled, leaning against Tala's chest. The elder adjusted his arms around him carefully, minding his still healing abdomen. Kevin continued.

"But he thinks he does, and that's the problem." Slowly, Kevin drew his legs up and hugged his cast to his chest, Tala arms still around his middle. "He won't just give up; I've been part of his life for too long. And what makes it worse is that I'm leaving for a reason that he thinks is so horribly wrong."

"Do you?"

Kevin blinked before smiling, slightly embarrassed. "No…"

Tala smiled gently as well. "Well then let him deal with it. You can relax now that he's not here, at least."

Kevin stiffened at the thought, causing Tala to regret it. There was a long silence between the two of them before Kevin sighed.

"I'm sorry. I just can't help it." He mumbled sadly. Tala shifted slightly.

"Help what?"

Kevin glanced to his left, trying to get Tala's face in his peripheral vision so that he could glare at him. Failing, he sighed again.

"Every time I think of him, I get really scared." Kevin said quietly, as if Lee would hear. "Whenever he got angry he'd take it out on me, either verbally or physically. And I know Lee, Tala, he won't just give up. He won't leave me alone, or you, or Rei or Kai, or anyone."

Tala thought about this for a good three minutes while Kevin scratched at the stiff material of his cast.

"It sounds like he loves you." Tala said. Kevin snorted with sudden, half-hearted laughter.

"Yeah right, Tala. He hates fags like me."

Tala narrowed his eyes. "Why would you say that?"

"He called me it." Kevin said, looking at the floor between his feet sadly. "And he called me a slut, too."

"You're not a slut."

Kevin looked around at him sadly. "But I didn't even know you and I had sex with you. On a subway. On a whim."

"That makes you amazing, not a slut." Tala said with a smirk, kissing Kevin's cheek delicately. The younger blushed gently.

"So… If Lee called me a slut and I'm not… does that mean he was wrong about other names?"

"Depends on what they are." Tala said before he could stop himself and think about what that meant. Kevin half smiled, before frowning at the memories.

"Well there are a lot of them. But… am I a fuck face?"

"Hell no. You're fuckable and you have a great face, but there's nothing wrong with you as far as that goes."

Kevin chuckled and rested his head against Tala's upper chest. "Am I a little shit?"

"Absolutely not." Tala said sternly, kissing the top of Kevin's head.

"Am I a godforsaken waste of flesh?"

"Certainly looks like god's granted you excellent flesh."

"If you believe in God."

"Yes, if you believe in God." Tala smiled, nodding. Kevin twisted around so that he was facing Tala, suddenly pressing his lips against the elder's. Tala only let himself be startled for a second before he kissed back, allowing Kevin to end it after a few seconds.

"What about a pitiful little attention slave?"

Tala took his time teasing Kevin with a forced pondering look before replying. "Well you're not pitiful on purpose and you get attention without much effort, but if you want to be my little slave-"

Kevin laughed and bumped his cast against Tala's chest, doing enough damage to cause Tala to groan and laugh.

"Okay, so Lee's wrong about all those. What about you?"

"Hm?" Tala said, catching his breath. Kevin looked a little bashful for a moment. "What names have you been called?"

Tala blinked before smiling. "Oh, plenty. But I know they're all bullshit anyway."

Kevin frowned. "Aw. So what am I supposed to do?"

Tala smiled. "You could kiss me again."

"But you just got clean sheets on the bed."

Tala laughed. "You're catching on to this sex thing, aren't ya?"

"Should I not?"

"No, it's better when you know what I'm talking abo-"

Again, Tala was cut off. This time, however, it was by Kevin pushing himself into a deep lustful kiss, causing Tala to inhale sharply before exhaling deeply, pulling Kevin up against him.

-x-x-x-

"I can't believe I did that." Rei groaned, pressing his face against Kai's shoulder pitifully. Kai glanced at him, momentarily looking away from his book.

"Did what?"

"I thought Tala was taking advantage of Kevin again, and-"

"You mean you thought they were having sex?"

"I refuse to call it that." Rei snapped, glaring at Kai's book. The Russian shrugged.

"Anyway, I thought they were and I burst in to stop them, and-"

"You thought they were having sex and you burst into the room?"

Rei blinked, stopping half-way though his sentence.

"Don't you think that would scar Kevin more?"

"Well I-"

"I mean, if he was having sex, or rather, someone was fucking him in the ass and let's face it that's how it's happening," Kai said all at once, gaining a glare from Rei, "Then wouldn't he be far more embarrassed if you saw it happening? Not to mention Tala would kill you, and then I would have to kill him for killing you, and then I would be left with a little, embarrassed, crying ball of Kevin who I would have no idea what to do with."

Rei remained silent for a moment before shoving away from Kai. He crossed his arms over his chest in a huff. "You'd probably step up to the plate and fuck him too."

"Nope." Kai said simply. "Couldn't do that to you. Wouldn't feel right."

Rei blinked. "Really?"

"Really."

Rei smiled gently before realizing that he had just lost, and turned his face away. A few strands of rebellious hair fluttered down before his face and he brushed them back irritably while Kai stiffened slightly. Sensing it, Rei looked toward him quickly.

"What?"

"Listen."

And Rei did. Narrowing his eyes and frowning, he slowly began to pick up on the sounds of a mattress rocking back and forth. Rei's eyes snapped wide open before he caught himself.

"No, he… Tala's just trying to get the sheet on the be-"

Just as Rei was curving his lips to finish the word, a faint, muffled yell could be heard in the distant reaches of the flat. Rei jumped to his feet, face heating up. Kai fumbled forward, book flying to the left as he frantically grasped hold of Rei's wrist.

"No no! Remember what we talked about, how it would be even more scarring to walk in on them?"

"I don't care, that prick's going to get it!" Rei snarled, pulling and tugging at Kai's grip.

"No, no he's not. Rei, please-"

Another muffled yell, this one more strained. Rei pulled harder still before Kai realized that being gentle wasn't going to work. With a strong tug, Rei stumbled backwards directly onto Kai's lap where he blinked, startled. Before he could react, Kai's arms were snaked around Rei's waist and his lips were planted on the neko-jin's. Rei blinked yet again, completely forgetting Kevin for a moment as Kai skillfully drew the other's tongue out of its mouth so that it could play with his. By the time recognition dawned on him of what was happening, he found that there was no longer a longing to ruin Tala's fun. Settling in and relaxing his muscles, Rei leaned forward and deepened the kiss, running his hands down Kai's chest. Breaking away, Kai allowed himself the opportunity to get in the last word.

"Those are cries of enjoyment, by the way."

Rei started, the makings of a glare flashing across his face before Kai moved back into the kiss, and like the first time, it didn't take long for Rei to give up.

-x-x-x-

"Over-ripe."

"Not ripe enough."

"That just looks gross."

"It looks delicious."

"God, what is that smell?"

"The smell of something wonderful."

"Would you stop that?"

"Would you start that?"

Kevin stopped short and turned sharply, looking up at Bryan. It was a bit of a stress on his neck to look all the way up at the older, and as he lifted up his chin some hair fell away from his face, causing him to squint in the new light. Bryan smiled down at him for a moment before shrugging.

"Okay, okay. Fine. How's the arm?"

"Fine."

"No it's not. You're rubbing it again."

"So the cast is a little tight, so what?"

"You should see the doctor about it."

"He'll ask how I broke it and I forgot the excuse."

Bryan wrinkled his nose and raised an eyebrow. For someone who was slowly relaxing after escaping hell, he was still pretty jumpy. Pacing along aimlessly through the Saturday morning market, he followed after the younger closely. He had promised Tala – profusely, no less – that he would watch Kevin like a hawk, and despite the crowd, he was doing a damn good job. Though Kevin felt like Bryan was stalking him at a creepily close rate, he decided that it was better then getting lost and kept wandering. They passed by several other fruit stands, two offering fish, six with flowers, one with vegetables, and three with art. The rest were a blur to the pair as they moved along, for what happened in only seconds was too distracting for either of them to care about the booths.

As they walked, Bryan's eyes on the back of Kevin's head, he failed to notice the large individual half in his path before he walked directly into him. Swearing and catching himself as he stumbled back, Bryan's gaze snapped up angrily at the individual he had run into, ready to lash out in a fit of verbal abuse. As his eyes made contact with the other's face, however, the expression melted away and he suddenly felt a strange abundance of confused panic within him. Though it took a moment for recognition to set it, Bryan was bracing himself for a possible fist brawl in seconds.

Before him, turning slowly and angrily while still taking a bite of an apple, was Gary of the White Tigers. His eyes were dark, his face was hard, and he looked like he had the ability to snap someone's neck like a water-sogged toothpick. Ahead of him, Kevin turned around to see where Bryan went with a smile on his face. In the time it takes an adrenalin pumping heart to beat, his face fell to a look of startled horror, and as he turned around completely, who but Lee emerged from behind Gary, distracted with some meaningless object in his hand. He lifted his harsh eyes to Bryan, jumped, and looked toward Gary. Spotting Kevin before his eyes even made it to the large blader, a glare of something between irritation and rage welled up on his face. Bryan flashed his attention toward the youngest neko-jin and saw the utter fear on his face, also noticing that Kevin had started to back away. Forgetting about Bryan completely, Lee shoved his left heal into the ground and propelled himself forward at a fast-paced stalk in Kevin's direction.

Apparently, Kevin had forgotten about Bryan as well, because after Lee took only three large steps, Kevin stumbled back and around and began to run into the crowd. Lee growled before racing after him, and before Gary could even fully grasp the situation, Bryan was bursting off into a run around him.

-x-x-x-

Kevin pumped his legs as hard as he could without crashing into the people that filled the market. He was panting because of fear rather then fatigue, and his eyes were wide. The rush of air that he ran into blew the hair from his face, and he had to squint through it. Behind him, he could hear Lee chasing after him, and despite the twists, turns, and double-takes Kevin tried to make, he couldn't shake him. Heart racing, he pushed off onto an empty side street, hoping to run faster. As he raced away from the crowd, the neko-jin found himself suddenly unsure of his footing. Behind him, he could here the pounding of Lee's feet on the pavement, and as he pushed onward, so desperate to escape, he failed to see the empty potato-chip bag, fluttering just above the ground. Stepping directly on it, as the speed he was going, the foil bent oddly and slid against itself, throwing Kevin's feet backwards and causing the youth to fall forward.

Hitting the ground barely hurt at all. So pumped with the urge to get away, he hardly registered the pain. It was as he tried to push himself back up and continue running that Lee's arms wrapped around his middle, and Kevin suddenly found himself lifted off the ground. He flailed his legs desperately, prying at Lee's arms with his hands.

"Let me go!" He yelled shrilly, voice almost cracking. Lee growled and twisted around to keep Kevin up, but decided that it was easier for him to just throw Kevin into the corner of a brick wall and a dumpster wall. With a strong shove, the young hit the wall and fell to the ground, barking in pain and fear. Lee moved in closely enough so that Kevin was literally trapped in the corner, pressing himself against the dumpster as hard as he could. All he could say was Lee's name, gasping it at is he had come face to face with the devil.

"Get away from him, Yin!" Bryan bellowed from the start of the block. He turned sharply and spotting Lee's back, with Kevin's cowering form hidden beneath him, and as he raced forward, Lee seemed to reach for something. This, however, failed to register with Bryan, who pushed forward intent on shoving Lee away from Kevin, but as he approached, Lee spun around with a chipped, dirty base-ball bat in his grip, and caught Bryan upside the head. Kevin yelled in shock, watching as Bryan's head snapped around and he fell to his left, hitting the ground hard. Lee took deep breaths through clenched teeth, watching Bryan's still form until he was sure the Russian wouldn't get up. Just as he was about to turn around, Kevin made an attempt at darting to Bryan's side, but Lee caught a handful of his hand and shoved him back into the corner. The next time their eyes met, Kevin's were watering and Lee almost looked satisfied with himself.

"Lee…" Kevin breathed, but he found that he had nothing to say. What words could he possibly compose after what had just happened between Bryan and Lee? What could he say to calm Lee down?

"Shut up or you're next." Lee snapped, smile flashing away. Kevin whimpered gently and felt a tear break free when he shot a glance at Bryan, still unmoving behind Lee.

"You're coming with me, Kevin. You're going back to the village where they'll flush all this faggot bullshit out of your mind. And you'll do what I say, when I say it. _Got it_?"

Kevin just stared at him, more tears escaping. His lower lip quivered. "L-Lee, please-"

"I didn't tell you to speak!" Lee barked, teeth clenching tighter. Kevin flinched. Before he was even aware of it, Gary was standing behind Lee, casting a shadow down on Kevin's shivering form. Along with it, it seemed that all hope of possible escape was gone. Gary was huge, and strong, and angry all the time, and Lee was fast and horrid and scary and all that was horrifying to Kevin. He couldn't get away, especially since he was cornered. Realizing this, all of the comfort and love he had received in the passed to weeks slowly began to rot away, and the feelings of oppression and abuse began to flow back into his heart. Lee snarled something to Gary that caused the large individual to step forward, hands stretching out toward Kevin. Instinctively, the youngest pressed into the corner and bit his lip in some half hearted attempt to brace himself for being grabbed, but as Gary's large hand wrapped around Kevin's upper arm, completely engulfing it, something strange came over him.

Anger. The sadness, the fear, the dread, all seemed to melt away, leaving a core of throbbing anger in its place. While Gary easily tugged him to his feet, Kevin's teeth clenched and his fingers tightened to fists. His heart began to pound heavily. His eyebrows narrowed, and the second he was on his feet, he did something he never saw himself doing; he swung his right leg up with all the power he could muster, and brought his foot crashing into Lee's crotch. The elder's eyes widened considerably before he barked in pain and keeled forward onto the ground. Gary, startled and a little worried about his own safety, let Kevin's arm fall from his grip. Kevin stumbled forward, realizing that his ankle hurt from the kick, and when he turned around and saw Lee vomit onto the pavement, he felt something close to pride approach him.

Lee couldn't talk. His eyes were closed tightly, and his mouth was open, fangs bared in the dim light of the alley. Gary looked back and forth between Kevin and Lee, not really knowing what to do, and it was about that time that Bryan let out a loud groan and shifted, slowly pushing himself off the ground. As he climbed to his feet and held his head in pain, Kevin and Gary kept their eye's locked.

Lee coughed.

Bryan growled in suppressed agony.

Gary slowly developed the ability to think for himself.

Kevin wished he hadn't kicked Lee so hard.

They all had a serious moment of regret.

And then finally, angrily, almost _reluctantly_, Bryan spoke. "Oh fuck you, Yin." He growled, rubbing his swelling forehead. It had already began to turn purple. Finally allowing himself a look at Lee, Bryan started in surprise and blinked curiously at his condition before noticing that Kevin was trying not to put weight on his ankle, and that Lee had thrown up. Turning his attention to the youngest, Bryan spot again.

"Quite a kick there, kiddo."

Kevin looked at him skeptically for a brief moment before Gary reclaimed attention.

"You're dead." He growled, taking a threatening step forward. Kevin took a step back while Bryan just rubbed his temple, undaunted.

"I've had to follow him around and listen to his bitching about you for the last two _weeks_. You're going to pay for it, ya' little fuck."

"Hey, hey." Bryan grumbled, still stroking the side of his throbbing head. "Let's not get rude. Just because Yin is a prick doesn't mean Kevin is."

But Gary wasn't listening. He kept advancing, eyes locked on Kevin, and as he began to pass Bryan, out stuck the foot of the lavender haired blader, tripping over the large white tiger, who landed ungracefully on the ground, hitting his head in the process. He was out cold instantly. Kevin just looked at him a moment before letting his gaze travel up to Bryan. Shock, disbelief, and complete and total admiration swelled in the younger's eyes while Bryan walked toward him. Catching hold of Kevin's shoulder, Bryan gently led him away from the two lying on the pavement.

Neither of them looked over their shoulders, even when Lee groaned loudly.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Mmmm. Cereal before bed is love.

… Oh yeah, the chapter. Well, I want to continue but this is already longer then all the other chapters, and I want to save something for the last chapter. So Lee is obviously disturbed, and Gary's just a scary bully, while Bryan is one of those 'fuck it all and make me a sandwich while you're at it' kinda people. (Like me. Lol.) I had fun writing that confrontation.


	6. Freeze

Tala opened his eyes wearily

Chapter six, shabanggg. How long has it been? Ah'well. Long enough, I guess.

Beware; plot twists a plenty. Not as long as the last chapter but packed full of slash goodness. Enjoy and review please!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tala opened his eyes wearily. The bedding around him was blurred by sleep as he rolled awkwardly to the right and blinked at Kevin's sleeping form. Finding something curious about the younger, he rubbed his eyes with several fingers and blinked into the dim morning light. For a moment there was a blank pause where Tala wondered if Kevin had switched into red pajamas, before all at once his vision cleared and he saw the blood on the sheet, sticky and drying, and the bloody handprints on the pillow. Jumping upright and swearing in shock, Tala stared in disbelief before leaping from the bed and swerving out of the room. The door had been left open a crack, and as he sped almost silently down the hallway and turned sharply into the living room, he saw why.

No crisis, no attack, no death. Just Kevin, curled on the couch without a shirt, his abdomen hastily bandaged. Tala blinked before heaving a half-relieved sigh, stalking forward. He grasped Kevin's shoulder with perhaps a little too much strength, and a strangled cry echoed right out of the younger's throat, followed by a violent flinch and a groan in pain. Tala jumped, having forgotten all about being gentle with the younger, and dropped to his knees beside the couch, shushing Kevin hurriedly.

"Kev, are you…" He exhaled in a hush, concerned more about waking up Rei then finishing his sentence. If he did, Kai's lover would fall right back into not trusting Tala again, especially if he found Kevin like this.

"Uggh…. Tala?" Kevin murmured, opening his eyes and looking up slowly. As his vision cleared and he made out the other's face, he suddenly looked very guilty of something, and panic swelled on his face faster then an allergic reaction.

"Tala, I'm sorry, I just woke up and there was blood all over my hands and it scared me and all I could think of was getting up and getting it to stop bleeding and I-"

A finger hit Kevin's lips firmly, causing him to stop talking all together. Tala looked at him hard for a moment before sighing and shaking his head. He removed his hand and Kevin kept quiet, sitting up slowly and painfully.

"What happened."

Kevin bit his lower lip and stiffened. "That puncture wound on my stomach split open while I was asle-"

"When did it happen."

Kevin blinked. Tala's presence suddenly felt ice cold, and Kevin didn't feel comfortable at all. "Um… a c-couple hours ago, I think, but-"

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I was scared, I didn't think to!"

"Why the hell not?"

"I… I just didn't…" Kevin said, fear creeping into his voice. Tala was quickly growing angry with Kevin's frail attitude, and as the annoyance developed, his patience for the pitiful little boy before him wore thin.

"Well you should have! I would have helped you, damnit!" Tala barked, and as he looked angrily down at Kevin, it dawned on him of what he was doing. Not at first, of course; it took Kevin's eyes watering over for him to recognize that he had just done the most horrible thing he could do. He stopped, slowly relaxing as a look of worry fell onto his face, but Kevin was up and running down the hall before Tala could stop him. In the distance, he heard Kevin calling Rei's name, most likely as he burst into the room the elder shared with Kai. Tala imagined him crawling up on the bed between the two and curling against Rei for protection. He would tell Rei everything. Rei would get angry. Kai would be angry about Rei getting angry. Kevin wouldn't want to talk to Tala again.

Man, he had fucked up.

-x-x-x-

"I thought he was gunna hit me." Kevin whispered, concluding his confession to Rei about what had just happened. Curled in the elder's arms, Kevin pressed his face against Rei's chest and was unable to see the look of shock, anger and distress that Rei passed to Kai, who glared toward the bedroom door. Though the conversation dimmed at that point, dwindling down to a very pale flame of speech, Rei continued to try and comfort his young friend, while Kai fought the urge to confront Tala. Knowing it would do no good, he remained in the bed with his lover and the boy, taking deep breaths to calm himself.

Time passed. Slowly, as Kevin let the warmth of the bed and comfort of Rei's arms get the better of him, he fell to sleep right there, leaving Kai and Rei to speak softly.

"I'm going to glue his face to the tire of a monster truck and rev the engine until he pisses himself, and them I'm going to floor it and watch his body-"

"Rei, don't go there." Kai warned.

"Why shouldn't I? After all Kevin has been through, Tala goes and yells at him like that! Lee got mad at Kevin in that same way, Kai. He always has, and it's only gotten worse. I have every right to be pissed at him!" Rei hissed, slowly laying Kevin down and allowing the younger to nestle among the pillows.

"I understand where you're coming from, Rei, and I'm pissed at him too. But saying things like that will only do harm to the situation."

Rei looked at him hard for a moment before drawing a deep breath.

"I know. But it helps me feel better."

Kai sighed tiredly and ran a hand down his face before blinking thoughtfully. A long pause followed, in which both Kai and Rei came to the same conclusion.

"What if Kevin tries to leave?" Rei asked softly, fear evident in his voice. Kai looked at him sadly.

"We can't stop him, Rei. He's not our prisoner."

"Damnit, Kai, I know that but… I mean, Tala is the reason Kevin came here in the first place, and if he's scared of Tala and he goes back, I'll…"

Kai gazed at him for a moment before recognizing that Rei was struggling to finish his sentence.

"You'll what?"

"…" A slightly longer pause as Rei took a sad breath. "I'll never see him again. Lee will beat the youth right out of him and drag him back home. There are elders there who would love to shove Kevin into the cellar and poke at him to figure out why he's bisexual."

Kai just stared at Rei blankly for several moments. Then, "Wait… really?"

Rei nodded sadly. "Really. They think it's some sickness or a mutation. Not everyone, but… most of them. And lord knows what they would do to him, Kai. He's a kid. He's small. He's not strong, they would… Oh, I can't even think about it."

"Then don't. Because it won't happen.' Kai said matter-of-factly, leaning over Kevin and hugging his lover. Rei returned it thankfully and sighed, confused and concerned about how to deal with the issue at hand.

-x-x-x-

Kevin covered his ears and closed his eyes tightly, but despite his attempt to hide from the sound that pulsated through the wall, he could not escape it.

"_No! Tala, I don't care what was going through your head, but you've just fucked this all up!"_

"_I was scared, how the hell would you except me to react?!"_

"_Not like that, goddamnit! You yelled at Kevin, after all he's been through!"_

"_He could have-"_

"_Oh shut the fuck up. This is your fault, not his! _You're_ the one that messed up!"_

"_Stop saying that!"_

In the living room, Rei, Kai, and Tala fought. Kevin remained in the corner of Bryan's dark room, upon the queen-sized bed. Bryan was asleep, recovering from his head wound, and for some reason Kevin felt safest with him there. So there he coward, shaking and fighting tears as he listened to his supposed saviors yell at one another.

"Why is this happening to me?" He whispered, a tear filling one eye. He wiped it away. "Why does this have to happen?"

But no one answered. The room was silent spare the yelling on the other room, and all was dark. The illuminated face of a digital clock and the crack beneath the door were the only sources of light. Kevin took a deep shaking breath to calm himself and looked down at his cast. It was scratchy and stiff and suddenly felt very heavy. He sighed, and as he did he came to realize something that painted his stomach with dread.

He had to go back.

He was ruining the lives of these people. They were all happy and dandy until Kevin came stumbling into the picture. Tala didn't even like him anymore. He probably never did; he just wanted the sex. Kevin felt his face burn with anger, embarrassment, and sadness as he thought this, and the tears returned quite suddenly. How had he been so ignorantly selfish? What made him think that everything would get better? He closed his eyes tightly and groaned piteously. He had to leave. He had to leave _now._ It was the only way he could stop the fighting as far as he was concerned.

-x-x-x-

Rei slowly opened the door to Bryan's room. The argueing had stopped about twenty minutes ago, and he had only just realized that Kevin was probably shaken by all that had happened. Peering into the darkness, Rei sighed.

"Kev?"

A deep breath, from inside. Rei leaned against the doorway and looked down at his feet.

"Listen, Kev, I'm sorry. None of this is your fault, you know that, right? I just…"

He paused in case Kevin wanted to respond. Inside, no sound came. "I just don't want you to get hurt. And I don't want you to regret this whole… _Tala_ thing. I mean, you are under a lot of emotional stress and you need to be careful about what you act on-"

A snort, following by a long snore. Rei raised an eyebrow and looked into the room again. Curiously and almost nervously, Rei reached around the doorframe into the darkness and flipped the switch.

The bed, with Bryan sleeping soundly. No Kevin. Rei blinked, panic sparked somewhere deep inside of him, and as his eyes flew around the room he recognized that Kevin hadn't been there at all. But… he wasn't anywhere else… How the…

Rei spun out of the room, not even turning off the light. He raced down the hall to the room where Kevin and Tala were staying and shoved the door open, to be greeted with the frantic face of Tala.

"His stuff is gone."

"He's not in the apartment."

"Oh shit." They both said at once, eyes wide. Turning sharply with the shared plan of racing out and finding the younger, they ran smack into Kai and Spencer.

"You can't do that, Rei."

"But-"

"He chose to go back, forcing him to stay here would be abduction."

"Better then letting him be there!" Tala barked. Rei held his footing.

"What do you mean he _chose _to go back?! Why the hell would he-"

Spencer narrowed his eyes. "He told Bryan. And I quote, 'I'm sorry you got hit in the head, I don't want anyone to get hurt. I'm just gunna go home'."

Rei stared at him, unbelieving. "He… But…"

"I heard him. And you can't chase after him."

"But-"

"Call ahead. Tell Mariah to watch out for him." Kai said, having heard of the encounter Rei and Tala had with her.

Rei just stared at him, while Tala took a deep, seething breath. No one spoke. No one moved. Eventually, Rei relaxed and looked down at the floor with a horrible sadness in his eyes.

"God, Kev..."

-x-x-x-

Kevin lingered in the lobby of the apartment building his 'team' was staying in. His eyes darted around nervously and his heart sped up and slowed down randomly. He waited with bated breath, hugging his jacket around his thin frame just tightly enough so that he wouldn't hurt his side. His side-bag hung heavily against his hip. He glanced at the elevators, the golden doors reflecting the dim light around him. He bit his lower lip.

"Back so soon?"

Kevin jumped. The voice sounded out so suddenly and so close to him that he spun around and shoved back several feet. There, in a black jacket with a small brown bag tucked under his arm, was Lee. He didn't appear as angry as Kevin thought he would, and the confusion was soon put to rest.

"I'm glad to see you've reached reason, Kevin."

The younger swallowed hard. "Y-yeah…" He whispered, drawing a complete blank on what to say. Lee started walked, grabbing Kevin inconspicuously by the elbow and pulling him along.

"You cold?" Lee asked. The oddity of the question alone threw Kevin off, but before the stretch of silence could annoy Lee, he answered.

"Uh… A-a little, I guess…"

The elevator doors closed behind them. Lee smiled creepily.

"Good."

-x-x-x-

"Lee please, I'm sorry, don't make me-"

"If you're alive in the morning then I'll let you in, eh?"

"No, Lee p-please! Let me in, I-I-I'm f-freezing!"

"You honestly thought you could come back and not be punished at all?" Lee laughed. "Suck it up you little slut. And if I hear you rattling the door at any point, I'll come out and beat the crap out of you, got it?"

_Slam._ The French doors that led out to the balcony were closed swiftly and locked. Kevin stood there, jacket-less, with his arms wrapped tightly around himself. He was shivering badly. The sound of teeth chattering could be heard even when Kevin's mouth was closed.

The whole night out on the balcony. Kevin couldn't believe it. At first, he thought Lee was joking; he thought it was just a threat, like all the threats before hand. But this- this was something else completely. This was real. He was going to freeze to death and Lee didn't care. Stiffly, Kevin moved toward the wall and sat down, curling tightly into a ball. He sobbed for a while until the cold air made his tears feel freezing against his face, and he made himself stop. Pressing his forehead against his forearms and his nose between his knees, he hugged himself and shook and tried not to cry.

All the while, the icy wind blew, and the moon shone down on him mockingly.

-x-x-x-

"Ho my god." Mariah exhaled, sighing heavily as she opened the door to the apartment while juggling three shopping bags. It was four in the morning, and after a long night with her friends she was ready for bed. Closing the door with her foot, Mariah put the bags down and dropped her keys into the dish on a nearby table. She stretched, yawned, and stopped short.

There, draped across the middle of the hall, was Kevin's bag. It was open, and some things had been shifted around, but it looked more like someone had thrown it. Suddenly worried, Mariah crept up to it and kneeled forward, fingering one of the t-shirts thoughtlessly. Standing again, Mariah slowly began to move through the apartment, looking for other signs of her young friend. Finding none, she began to worry about what was going on when she heard it.

Gentle whimpering, coming from the other side of the French doors. The curtains had been drawn shut, blocking out the light from outside, but as she moved toward them it didn't matter. She knew who was out there. Unlocking the doors in a heartbeat, she swiftly pulled them open and braced against a shrill, freezing front of wind. She gasped at the sheer coldness before pushing herself out onto the balcony. There, leaning against the wall in a small, shaking ball, was Kevin.

"Oh my god!" Mariah half cried half gasped. "Kev!" Darting forward, she fell to her knees before him and wrapped her arms around him; cold as ice. He hardly seemed to register that she was there, his lips blue and his eyes holding a strange tinge of purple. She pulled on him, lifting into the air where he leaned against her. Together, they stumbled inside and Mariah closed the doors tightly behind her. Kevin collapsed right there, shaking harshly from the freeze. Racing, Mariah sped through the living room scooping up every blanket she could find before racing back to her fallen friend.

"Kev?" she whispered, panic stricken. "Kev, please say something."

As she spoke, she began to wrap Kevin into a cocoon of blankets, but little seemed to help. Finally realizing that it wasn't enough, Mariah scooped him up with some difficulty and made her way as fast as her feet would allow down the hall to her bedroom. The door was left open, making it easier for her to enter the room, and once she was in she set Kevin on the bed and closed the door, locking it.

She scurried back. Kevin was shaking, whimpering now as he seemed to become aware of what was going on. He whispered Mariah's name several times as she covered him along with herself with two more blankets and wrapped her arms around him, hoping to warm him further.

"Mar…"

"Shh… it's okay, Kev. I'm going to take care of you. From now on, I'm going to take care of you."

"B-b-but Lee…"

"I don't care. Fuck Lee. I'm so sorry, Kevin, I'm so sorry." Mariah felt the tears approach and let them come. As Kevin fell asleep and gradually stopped shaking, the magnitude of what was happening came to Mariah in waves. It got worse and worse until she was sobbing, holding Kevin like a teddy bear while he managed to sleep, the utter fatigue of shaking having been too much for his small body.

Together, after far too long of being apart, the two fell asleep in each other's arms, sadness and fatigue doing their best to cover the fear they felt.

-x-x-x-

Mariah let her eyes open on their own time. Light filtered through the window, illuminating her form as she lay curled around Kevin, small and shivering in her arms. As she rose from her light sleep, the sound of someone pacing up and down the hall jerked her back to reality and memories of the night before began to spill into her head. Closing her honey eyes tightly, she winced and knew who was outside; Lee.

He had probably awoke to see if Kevin was frozen solid or not, and when he found that he wasn't on the balcony and that Mariah's things were laid out on the living room floor, he got angry. Angry enough to do what, Mariah didn't know. As she laid there, her head swirling with anticipation and her stomach heavy with anxiety, she failed to notice the gentle vibrations against her hip until all at once they seemed to radiate into her side. Twisting awkwardly without disturbing Kevin, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and looked at it.

'_Unknown Txt'_

She narrowed her eyes slowly before clicking accept. There, on the screen, were clusters of pixels she was overjoyed to read.

'_Mar it's Rei. Is Kevin there?'_

Mariah exhaled shakily. She didn't want Rei rushing over to be a hero, for it would only provoke Lee's anger. Just as she was about to close the phone and go back to sleep, however, Kevin began to cough gently. It grew more violent, and Mariah could only watch the face of her once close friend. Her heart sank, and she found that she could no longer refuse him; she had neglected to help it whenever she saw a new bruise or cut. Once she had been there when he came home from practice with Lee, limping heavily. Mariah felt concern flicker deep within her, but the second he stumbled and knocked over her drink, she had simply told him to piss off. Tears welled in her eyes at the horrid memory. Whatever went on between Kevin and Lee while they were gone must have been worse enough, but… She didn't even care.

'_He's here.'_ She texted, willing herself to stop there. She felt the urge to continue, to tell Rei all about what she had come home to find, but reasoned that it would be hard enough for him to take it in doses, let alone in one huge gulp.

'_Is he ok?'_

Mariah closed her eyes and replied from memory, having gotten so used to texting that she didn't even need to look.

'_No. Lee locked him out on the balcony all night. He's sick.'_

A long pause followed after she sent it, and she began to question her choice of words. Maybe she had chosen the wrong adjectives, or perhaps even the wrong verbs, and it had spelled a completely different picture for Rei then she had meant it too. Kevin began coughing again and she lightly patted his back, noticing for the first time the cast. She stare, wide-eyed at its rough red texture before vibrating pulled her attention back to the phone.

'_Is it safe for me to come over?'_

Mariah glanced toward the door. Lee's shadow passed under the crack again and again, back and forth. He was waiting for her to come out so he could get to Kevin.

'_No… but you might have too. Lee is angry.'_

Another pause.

'_How angry?'_

Mariah bit her lower lip the same way she did when she was trying to be seductive to an attractive guy, but this time it was full of pure worry and she didn't even think about it as she pressed her front teeth into the soft plump flesh.

'_Angry enough to her both me _and_ Kevin. Soon.'_

Rei replied with a simple 'hold on', and then the signal to his phone flared down a couple of bars. Narrowing her eyes, Mariah wondered what was going on with her phone before the door opened and she whipped her head around. Their, light from behind blackening his silhouette, stood Lee, his arms at his sides and his fists clenched.

"Mariah."

She sat up and shoved the blankets off onto Kevin to cover him from sight, and stood bravely.

"Lee you bastard. What the hell have you done?"

Though he would have been surprised by her retaliation only days before, this time his mind had adapted to the concept of her being against his leadership style, and he wasn't shocked in the slightest. He simply narrowed his eyes.

"Don't lower yourself to his level, Mariah."

"Or what?!" Mariah hissed. She wasn't sure if Lee knew Kevin was there, for the small neko-jin was buried and completely out of site. If he didn't know, maybe she could avoid confrontation completely.

"Don't make me hurt you, Mariah." Lee growled, head lowering a fraction in anger. Mariah clenched her fists.

"Really?" She asked, a little more quietly then she had intended, giving her statement a superior tone. "You'd harm your own flesh and blood so you could beat up a child?"

"He's not a child, he's a disgrace!"

"He's your family, Lee!"

"I'd never be related to such filth!"

Mariah fought the swell of tears she felt rising inside of her. "He's not filth! He's only fifteen fucking years old, and he's better then you!"

At this, Lee seemed to forget that Mariah was his sister. He forgot completely his relationship with her prior to the argument and saw her only as what was standing between him and what he considered justice. Sweeping forward, he backhanded her clear across the face and sent her falling to the floor, where she let out a sharp cry of surprise on impact. He preceded to dive for the bed and pull away the covers, and as Mariah's heart froze in fear, his eyes narrowed in confusion. All that was there were sheets and twisted blankets, but no form to fill them. As he looked across the bed, something sharp and painful split into his calf and he reared back, howling in pain.

From under the bed, Kevin pulled himself back and away from Lee where the sharp heal of one of Mariah's designer shoes stuck into the back of his leg. Mariah gasped before pulling both herself and Kevin up and pulling him out of the room.

Racing, she spun down the hall with Kevin behind her and into the living room with every intention of escaping out the front door. Much to both the horror of herself and her old best friend, however, who but Gary and his lumbering form blocked the path, the goliath looking almost as angry as Lee had looked moments before. As she skidded to a halt, Kevin pulling up along side her, a designer shoe smashed into the wall only a foot from them, leaving a small blood stain against the peace colored paint. She gasped and turned, spotting Lee emerge from the bedroom, limping in pain and seething with anger.

"Kevin, run!" She cried, turning and shoving him in the only direction away from the two approaching threats. He turned with her and grabbed hold of her hand as she did his, but they both knew it was helpless;

There was no where to run.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Oh dear, dreaded cliff hanger.

I'll fix it… I want to write what happens next sooo badly. It'll probably be the last chapter, by the way. If not the end is coming soon. It's like Innocent Lust in terms of length.

And emo-ness. Dang.


	7. Rapture

Last chapter! Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, please make sure to review this one last time!

Okay. So, this chapter might end a little strangely, but I like it. That's really all I have to say right now. Hmm… Perhaps I'm too tired to think of anything. In that case, I shall impart half-awake wisdom:

Screw socks and shoes. Today, your feet go commando.

Art I made WITH A MOUSE for this story. So it took a while. So you better go look at it.

.com/art/I-m-not-done-with-you-yet-102322679

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Six months ago…_

Rei sat stiffly in the hard chair, cursing the unforgiving cold of the dim room. Before him, behind a large desk with his hands together in a steeple-like alignment, was the head of the school. Rei looked toward the bald man and took a deep, self-preparing breath.

"It's interesting, how someone so composed as yourself would sink to such a low, Mr. Kon. Why, just last week I rewarded you for your citizenship after the bakery case. I'm surprised by all of this."

Rei said nothing, just nodded. Respect was, without a doubt, the biggest issue with this man. One foot over the line and you would be in more trouble then you thought possible. Adjusting his glasses upon his crooked nose, the man stood slowly and paced toward the window where the blinds remained shut. He parted two of them with his knobby fingers and peered out into the light, thinking.

"I expected better from you and Mr. Yin. Believe me, he would be here as well if it weren't for the head injury he suffered in your brawl. You two shall have to make up for this upheaval in some way…"

Rei nodded slowly again, even though the man couldn't see him. Slowly looking up, he finally spoke.

"In my defense, Elder Tai, Lee was the one who swung first."

"Oh yes, so I've heard. Kevin Ki seemed quite insistent that I show mercy on your part."

Rei blinked. Kevin had done that?

"After all, he was the only witness." Elder Tai continued. "But you understand why I don't trust the boy; he does have questionable loyalty to the village."

Something shifted in the air the instant those words were spoken. Guilt sparked somewhere deep inside of him, reminding him of the bitter argument that had gone on between the three of them only an hour before.

"_How the hell could you be a fag?! Why would you ever choose that?"_

"_It's not a choice, Lee, I was born this way."_

"_Don't give me that bullshit, Rei. How could you?"_

"_Guys, please stop yelling…"_

"_Shut the fuck up, Kevin."_

"_Don't speak to him like that, Lee, he hasn't done anything!"_

"_I said shut up, you damn queer!"_

"_Don't call me that!"_

"_Guys, stop!"_

"_I'll call you whatever I fucking want too! You're disgusting!"_

"_No I'm not! Why can't you just accept this?"_

"_You want me to _accept it_?! How about you accept this!"_

That was when the first punch flew. Rei had taken it straight in the face. From there, it was just physical attacks and name calling. Kevin had backed away, not wanting to be struck, but not knowing how to get the two to stop arguing. Neither Rei nor Lee paid him any attention until Rei landed a kick to the side of Lee's head, sending him to the ground flat. It was only then that someone – Rei couldn't even remember who – came up and saw what was happening.

And the whole argument was about Rei being gay. If Elder Tai was questioning _Kevin's_ loyalty to the village, then what of Rei? He couldn't possibly let this man know about his sexual orientation, or else he would be exiled. Suddenly, Rei felt overjoyed that he had round-house kicked Lee in the head.

After a long pause, Tai spoke again. "But none the less, this matter will not be dismissed. Until Mr. Yin is available to defend his case, this will be postponed. I will speak to the two of you soon. Excused."

Silently, his conscious heavy, he stood and left the room.

-x-x-x-

_Current time…_

"Mariah, I'm scared…" Kevin whimpered. The two had been chased into the bathroom where the door had remained locked. Mariah could tell that Lee and Gary were waiting close by, and as she sat there and stared at the floor, she couldn't help but acknowledge that they would have to come out sooner or later. Slowly, she turned her head to look at Kevin. He was sitting beside her in the tube, hugging his knees. He was shivering, his lips holding a gentle tinge of blue. She sighed.

"I know, Kev… We'll be okay."

"No we won't." Kevin said solemnly, sobering enough to look up at her. "Lee doesn't give up. One time I told him to get therapy when we were in public and he waited three days to get me back for it."

"… What did he do?" Mariah asked cautiously. Kevin looked at her blankly for a moment before his eyes slowly fell back towards his knees.

"He bit me."

Mariah blinked, disgust and confusion morphing her facial features. "He _what_?"

"He bit me. He came up behind me and bit my shoulder really hard, and then he shoved me to the ground."

Staring, her mouth open, Mariah let the news sink in slowly and painfully. How sick _was_ Lee? What would make him do such a thing?

"I have a scar, from it. It looks like a vampire attacked me or something."

Mariah looked at her feet and shook her head. This was sick; the abuse sounded almost sexual now, like Lee was getting turned on by hurting Kevin so much. How in hell had her brother gotten so demented?

A harsh ram on the door. Kevin flinched harshly before whimpering, and Mariah felt her breath catch in her throat. From outside the door, Lee spoke simply and angrily.

"Don't make this worse than it is, Mariah. Open the goddamn door."

"Get therapy." Mariah said boldly, gaining a shocked look from Kevin. There was a growl before Lee's footsteps stormed away. Kevin continued to stare at Mariah while she smiled weakly at him, shrugging. Still, he couldn't relax. Looking nervously back at the door, Kevin curled forward and pressed his forehead against his knees pitifully.

"I'm gunna die this time, I know it."

Mariah's head snapped back a fraction. "Kevin," She said, sounding hurt, "don't say that!"

"But it's true." Kevin said sadly, not looking up. "He's really mad and Gary hates me and there's nowhere to run this time. I'm gunna die today."

And much to her horror, Mariah found that she couldn't argue with him. She blinked slowly, looking toward her own feet, and the n the polished texture of the bathtub. She looked up toward the mirror, and suddenly wondered how many times Kevin had cleaned up a cut or bruise in this bathroom. She felt utterly dirty for being there, and couldn't help but wonder if maybe she should ask Kevin. But… no, she had to be strong. One of them had too.

"Can you hear that?" Kevin asked suddenly, his voice soft. Mariah looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Hear what?"

"That sound." Kevin replied immediately, looking toward the door. Mariah followed his gaze just in time to see the lock on the doorknob turn. Her eyes widened only seconds before the door burst open. There, filled the doorway with clenched fists, was Lee. His teeth were gritting together and his eyes were burning with hatred that neither Mariah nor Kevin had ever seen before. He smiled awkwardly and, without a word, stepped into the room and closed the door tightly behind him. Mariah stood defensively while Kevin just sat there, suddenly very calm.

_When faced with death, how do you respond? Imagine yourself sitting there, staring it in the face, and you know that you can't stop it from coming. Do you try to run? Do you take a deep breath and accept the events as they've happened? After all, you're only one human. How could you possibly deny something that was never anywhere near your control in the first place? I've asked myself this question every night, and I can't decide what I would do. Would I run? Do I have anything to live for beyond this? Is there something to fight for? Or do I face it like the man my father wanted me to be, and let it come? To I embrace the inevitable, or try to fight against it like so many people do? Perhaps I'm asking too many questions. Maybe it's as black and white as whether you get out of bed in the morning or not. It shouldn't be so hard. But… My death is not in the hands of chance. It's in the hands of him. That anonymous 'him' that haunts my dreams. Will he finally kill me? Or will he just spare me over until another day? _

_I don't think I can ask myself that question again._

Kevin blinked. The dialog to something he had posted in a blog weeks ago suddenly flashed through his head. As Mariah and Lee started yelling at one another, their echoing voices blurring into the sound of Kevin's heart pounding in his ears, he let his eyes close. Was he ready to die, or did he have the will to fight? Shivering gently against the porcelain of the tub, Kevin opened his eyes again slowly and looked up at Lee. His face was blank, if not sad. Somewhere in his conflict with Mariah, Lee looked down at Kevin, and the youngest in the room could spot the elder mouthing 'what the fuck are you looking at'. But he didn't hear. Blood pulsated through his body, as hot as fire and still not doing anything to thaw him out. Suddenly, and without his mind's consent, Kevin stood.

And Mariah and Lee stopped yelling. They both looked down at him, Mariah's eyes brimming with tears while Lee's radiated anger. And as Kevin lifted his eyes to meet Lee's, he suddenly felt the courage to speak. Calmly, softly, peacefully. Kevin finally spoke his mind.

"If you're going to hurt me, Lee, I want to you to know something. For the first time in five and a half months, I've been happy. I've felt like I can smile without you smacking me. I've done something and not been ridiculed for it. I'm sorry if I can't be who you are or who you want me to be, but I know one thing for sure; I'm happy with Tala and the others. And if that's such a horrid crime," Kevin paused to laugh half-heartedly, "– to be happy and loved, then fine. Beat the shit out of me. Kill me. But some day you'll realize that you're the one who's sick. _Not_ me."

Lee stared. Mariah stared. Kevin looked down at the floor. There was a long pause before Lee narrowed his eyes and swung his hand up. Spotting it, Kevin just closed his eyes before Lee's palm smacked him upside the head.

Somehow, he kept his balance. He slid a little on the floor of the tub and felt his ankle twist. Mariah must have tried to stop Lee from hitting him again and failed, because she hit the door just as Kevin looked up. Lee caught him in the face with a punch and knocked Kevin right down. Without missing a heartbeat, he snagged Kevin's casted arm and pulled him right off the ground and over the edge of the tub, so that his feet were dangling about three or four inches off the ground. Kevin cried out in pain as Lee tilted the cast towards a horizontal position. The closer it got to being flat, the more Kevin kicked and screamed, before Mariah dove onto Lee's back. A loud crack followed by Kevin being dropped to the ground ensued. Lee struggled to pry Mariah off of his back while Kevin gripped his arm, hot tears rolling down his cheeks.

The door opened. From seemingly out of nowhere, Gary grabbed hold of Mariah and pulled her clear off of Lee. He held her back, kicking and fighting, while Lee recovered and moved toward Kevin again. Grabbing him by the back of his shirt, Lee hoisted him up and glared at him.

"You think _I'm _sick? You're Tala's _bitch_, Kevin. You're a little faggot who can't even pitch. Maybe I ought to kill you, save the elders the trouble of fixing you."

"Then go the fuck ahead, you bastard, I'd rather be dead then be their lab rat."

Lee's eyes narrowed even further and the smug look vanished from his face. "Why you little-"

"Get the fuck away from him, Lee." From just outside the doorway, passed Gary, a voice filled with as much anger as Lee bellowed into the bathroom. Lee stopped short and turned, Kevin still suspended in the air, his shirt collar choking him slightly while Lee pivoted. Gary turned sharply to receive a fist to the face, sending him to the floor. Mariah gasped and pulled away in time to keep her balance. There, filling the space that Gary's large build had just abandoned, was Tala.

"You." Lee growled, dropping Kevin suddenly. The small neko-jin hit the floor with a thump and groaned, but before he could move Lee's foot stamped onto his upper back. "You're the one who started all of thi-"

"Don't pull that angry evil captain bullshit now, Yin. Get your foot the fuck off of my boyfriend."

Both Lee and Kevin blinked. Weakly, Kevin looked up at Tala as if to ask 'really?', while Lee's shock turned immediately into deeper anger.

"Don't you dare tell me what to do, you-"

"I said shut up, you stupid fuck." Tala growled, starting forward suddenly. Lee blinked again, startled by the forced nature in Tala's actions, but before he could prepare and defend himself, Tala had his hands wrapping around Lee's shirt collar. Glaring, the red head spun Lee around and chucked him out of the room almost effortlessly before turning and squatting down. Carefully, he helped Kevin into a kneeling position.

"You okay?" He asked softly, supporting the younger who immediately fell against his chest and fought more tears.

Lee pushed himself to his feet and staggered backwards, enraged and bewildered. Behind Mariah, Gary had risen and was holding his head in pain.

"Leeroy."

Lee spun. There, looking both angry and dejected at the same time, was Rei. The words that had been forming at the tip of Lee's tongue suddenly dissolved away, and his mind drew a blank. He stood still, like a deer in the way of a speeding car, and stared.

"You're done, Lee. You can't hurt him anymore."

"…" Lee's mouth hung open. He hadn't seen Rei in a long time, and the last interaction they had had was an argument that ended in a physical fight. He had taken a kick to the head. He continued to stare.

"And don't for a minute blame me for all this. You're the one that tore the team apart with your anger." Rei paused and sighed, shaking his head slowly. "I'm so sorry that you became this. You were my best friend, Lee."

The two held eye contact for a long time before Lee looked away slowly. Rei could see the anger returning, but it was tamed. Lee knew he was defeated.

"Rei." Tala's voice sounded from the bathroom. "Hurry the tea party along; we need to get Kevin to a hospital."

Lee remained where he was. Mariah took a deep breath and moved into the bathroom, but Tala had already scooped Kevin up. Rei glanced at Lee one more time before he too moved to help Tala, but as he passed by the elder neko-jin, he felt a hand clamp around his upper arm and whip him around. He started, caught off guard, but before he could even blink he felt Lee's fist crashing into his face. Mariah gasped as Rei hit the floor, Tala stopping short.

"He's not going to a fucking hospital, he's going to _hell_." Lee growled, the anger flashing back full force. Tala took a step back and bumped straight into Gary, who took him by the shoulders and flung him almost effortlessly into a wall. Tala shifted just in time to take the majority of the blow, but as he fell to the ground Kevin still tumbled from his arms. Mariah turned to help, but Lee's fist caught her in the back of the head and sent her to the floor, out cold. Kevin back up against Tala and let the elder wrap his arms around him. _'It's okay',_ Tala whispered, but Kevin didn't register it. He just pressed up against Tala's winded form and whimpered. Rei, stumbling to his feet, managed to put himself between Tala and Gary, and for someone who just took a fist to the face, he did a damn good job of fending the elder off. Lee, on the other hand, had the opportunity to dive forward toward Kevin. Tala's foot shot up, holding the elder back by his chest, but Lee still shoved his arms forward and snagged Kevin's good wrist. Kevin cried out and tugged helplessly while Tala struggled to get Lee off, one arm still wrapped around Kevin's waist.

Then Lee did something that attained everyone's attention. While he held Kevin's hand close to his face, Lee opened his mouth and bit down on Kevin's index finger so hard that after a crunch, he had almost bitten off the front-most two segments of the finger.

Kevin's scream was so deafening that it shocked even Lee, who pulled away and spat out the blood before covering his ears. Red fluid, thick and hot, seemed to get everywhere without it actually coming out of the finger. Kevin kept screaming, his cries slowly losing their intensity as he pulled his hand toward his stomach. The blood soaked his shirt. Tala let go of him then, the shock passing him first, and he dove forward, smashing a foot into Lee's face. He moved to do it again before Rei pulled him back, and he saw why.

On the floor, yelling in his own pain, was Lee, holding his left eye. Aside from the blood that spilled between his fingers, a strange white fluid ran down the side of his face. The cries of agony shook Tala and Rei to the core before Gary shoved them aside and knelt beside Lee. Taking the opportunity, the two still standing backed away. Tala lifted Kevin, now reduced to groaning in pain, while Rei scooped up Mariah, and together they rushed from the apartment, leaving Lee and Gary alone.

-x-x-x-

"Still think he's taking advantage of him?" Kai asked calmly, stroking Rei's hair. He looked down at his lover, whose head was resting upon his chest. Rei sighed.

"No, I guess not."

"Ff. How could you?" Bryan asked from his own seat. "Tala has spent the last three days in that damn room with him."

"Dedication doesn't mean love."

"Yes it does, Spencer." Rei said, closing his eyes. "It does when the dedication is on a level like that."

Ian tossed the magazine he was reading onto the table. "Yeah, well I still think Tala doesn't deserve him."

Bryan rolled his eyes. "And you do? I'm sorry, maybe it's the head injury, but I don't remember you doing anything to help him out. At all."

Ian moved to retort before Kai cut him off. "Shut up, we're in public."

Silence fell over the waiting room again. Rei and Kai cuddled on a sofa while Bryan, Spencer, and Ian sat in separate chairs. They all sighed at once, eyes wandering in different directions. After several moments of silence, Rei spoke.

"I just can't believe Mariah is pregnant."

Kai sighed. "It was bound to happen. Look at the people she was hanging out with."

"She can't go home, though."

"Meaning…" Bryan interjected, suddenly sounding vaguely concerned. Rei looked up at him.

"Meaning she'll have to live _somewhere_. And I would feel just _awful_ if I didn't help, _Kai_."

Kai blinked. "What?"

Rei looked at him for a moment, hard. Kai sighed.

"I don't want to live with her."

"She's sorry, Kai. She made mistakes, we all did. _I_ did. She deserves another chance."

"Not under my roof."

"Then buy her a house. You can afford it."

Kai blinked. "Hell no."

"Think of the baby."

"Don't play that card with me."

"What if she lets us adopt it?"

Kai opened his mouth to retort and stopped. His mouth slowly closed. He looked at Rei. They had discussed adoption before, but it had never actually seemed like a reality. Kai wasn't exactly dad material. But Rei was, and he seemed to think that they could do it. After a long silence, with everyone waiting impatiently for Kai's reply, he rolled his eyes.

"We'll see."

Rei smiled, and rested his head back down.

-x-x-x-

"So that's how I got that scar."

"Really? God, that must have hurt."

"Yeah, well…" Tala paused to sigh for dramatic effect, "It wasn't that bad."

Kevin rolled his eyes and smiled. "I'm sure. How's the shoulder?"

"Stiff. How's the… everything?"

"Sore."

Tala smiled, remaining silent. He looked at the neko-jin carefully, the smile remaining though softening. After a few moments, Kevin looked right at him.

"Stop it."

"Can't help it. You're cute."

"Yeah, well… It's creepy."

"You don't deny it?" Tala said, perking suddenly. The smile spread. "Is that an ego I see returning?"

Kevin laughed gently. "Oh shove off. It's not like I'm going to be a wounded little puppy forever."

"Well good." Tala countered immediately, leaning back. "I don't like wounded puppies. I much prefer sex kittens."

Kevin blinked, his cheeks warming slightly. "Have you always been so forward?"

"Yhep."

"Oh…" Kevin murmured. His gaze downcast, he sighed and smiled tiredly. A long, peaceful silence followed in which Tala stood and strolled to the window to look out over the city, and Kevin found the strength to nestle into the pillows that propped him up. His eyes closed, he drifted closer to sleep with each passing moment before he caught himself and pulled back to reality.

"Tala?" He asked sleepily. The elder turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow, as if you say 'yes, you rang?'.

"Can we get a dog?"

The red-head blinked. "What?"

Shifting gently in the hospital bed, Kevin looked down at his lap sheepishly. "You know… Like, a big dog? I mean, the police got the flat and all they found was that letter. Doesn't that worry you?"

Tala looked at him for a long time before sighing. "Yes. It does. Actually, it scares the crap out of me, and very few things do."

Slowly, Tala moved back across the room and climbed onto the bed beside Kevin, lying down carefully. Kevin rolled his head over and rested it against Tala's shoulder, snuggling up.

"I promise, Kevin, I'm going to take care of you."

"You didn't expect too, though?"

Tala blinked. "Huh?"

"On the subway. You had no idea what you were getting into, did you? You were just horny?"

Tala looked Kevin straight in the eye. For a long time, he remained like that before sighing and laughing gently.

"How long have you been wondering that?"

"Since the morning after when I woke up with an aching ass in your bed."

Another laugh. "Okay, okay. Yes, I was just horny. And you happened to be the most beautiful thing I had seen in weeks. But once I got sucked into it, and realized how strong you were for surviving that for as long as you did, I found more emotions toward you then just lust."

Kevin chuckled. "I wasn't strong at all, Tala. I was scared."

"No, see, that's the mistake." Tala said, resting back down and allowing Kevin to snuggle up again. "You might see it as fear, but the overview of all that happened… Well, you were brave. You withstood all of that abuse and suffering and you still managed to carry on. Until the end of course. But that's human."

"…" Kevin said nothing for five whole minutes. Then, out of nowhere, "So we can get a dog?"

Tala groaned. "I thought you'd forgotten about that."

"Nope."

A sigh. "Okay, we'll get a dog."

"Yay!" Kevin cooed happily, snuggling close enough now to fall asleep. As his breathing calmed and evened out, and sleep claimed him, Tala smiled to himself.

"But it's going to be a Husky."

-x-x-x-

"_You disgusting demons haven't rid yourselves of justice yet. We'll find you. We'll kill you or cleanse you, but you will not be allowed to continue this unholy lifestyle."_

Time passed from winter to spring to summer to fall, and it became custom for Kevin and Tala to go for a stroll through the city parks every afternoon. Accompanied by Soviet, a large, fluffy, and protective Husky with pure white fur, they explored Berlin together as they settled into their new home with Bryan, Ian, and Spencer. Near enough lived Kai and Rei, and in a studio apartment closer still was Mariah, now deep in her term of pregnancy, and due in the winter.

"_I will never give up. Rei, you have tainted the very name of your heritage. Mariah, once my sister, and now a whore, has tarnished our family name. And Kevin, you diseased little slut, may have a second chance at redemption only if you come forward yourself."_

In September, on a chilly day, Tala tried his hand at baking, and managed to create a lop-sided chocolate cake for Kevin's sixteenth birthday. Kevin told him the following morning that it had been the best birthday of his life, and Bryan, Spencer, Kai, Rei, and Ian could all vouch the notion.

"_Get as comfortable as you'd like. I will return. And when I do, you shall all taste righteousness as the Gods intended. You should only hope you die before I get to you._

_Lee"_

On November fourth, Anya Yin was born.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ah, breathe in that musk of potential squeal. Even if this is the official ending and there won't be a sequal, at least it leaves you guys with something to think of, right?

Okay, so I gave Mariah's baby a Russian name. Sue me. I think, seeing as she lives in Russia with the Blitskrieg boys, it's fitting. Besides, maybe she didn't choose it. Maybe Rei and Kai did. Maybe they did because they're adopting it. Mayyyyyyybeeeeee. Hmmmmmm.

Thanks for reading another one of my stories! As always I love you for it. Please review and let me know what you think!


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